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Ilves: we see fear or indifference towards violence in Europe
We again see fearful or indifferent glances in Europe that don’t dare to do anything or don’t know what to do against violence, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said in his speech dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the 1949 March deportations on Tuesday, LETA/Public Broadcasting reports.
"Naive hopes and leaving the victim of aggression alone has never helped to make world safer and stop the aggressor and it won't help in the future," Ilves said.
"We have to keep in mind and consistently remind others that the price of loss of freedom is much higher than temporary reduction of economic benefits," he stressed.
"We will have to explain this to our partners in Europe and the world. We have to support Ukraine, do it as a member of NATO and European Union."
"Estonia has a right and moral obligation for that. Since we know from our experiences the full evil of aggression, also when the aggressor at first comes without firing any shots."
"Estonia conquered the evil and became a free country again. Now we have to support others and give them hope and faith in their freedom," said Ilves.
"With this we confirm our faith in the free Estonia. And with that we assure the victims of deportation that what was done to them will never be repeated," Ilves stated.
On March 25-29, 1949, Soviet occupation powers deported more than 20,000 innocent people from Estonia to Siberia.