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Estonian Minister of Defence Mr Jürgen Ligi Remarks at the Victory Day Memorial Ceremony 22 June 2006

25. October 2006 - 11:52

Excellencies,
Officers and soldiers,
Dear guests!

Today we are celebrating Estonian Victory Day for the 73rd time. Võidupüha is Estonia’s second most important celebration after the Independence Day. A victorious war, which brings along freedom, is the cornerstone of most countries’ identity. The War of Independence, the Victory Day of which we commemorate today, was the war that laid the foundation for the Estonian state.

Estonia was occupied in 1940 as a result of an agreement signed between the Soviet Union and the Germany Reich. However, Estonia was occupied not without resistance. On the 21st of June 1941 the young conscripts of the Signals’ Battalion resisted those who wanted to take over their unit. Today we commemorate the Estonian military that died in this battle.

The Second World War brought the Estonian people suffering on unprecedented scale. Tens of thousands of civilians perished as victims of repression in Estonia or in the prison camps of the Soviet Union. Estonian servicemen fought the Second World War in the armed forces of Germany, Soviet Union and Finland but also for Great Britain, the United States of America and other countries.

Estonian independence was restored peacefully – no blood was shed. The Western countries that had pursued the policy of non-recognition of the Soviet occupation recognised Estonia’s return to the international family. Today Estonia is a member of NATO and the EU. Estonia’s defence co-operation has to ensure our capability to respond to any threats to our state’s independence. Estonian Defence Forces’ military readiness and ability must guarantee the protection of our statehood and the fulfilment of Estonia’s external obligations.

Today, on Estonian Victory Day we commemorate these Estonian military and civilians who perished in the wars or became the victims of war crimes. We remember the thousands that died in the battlefields during the War of Independence from wounds or disease.
 
We honour August Soinla, the first Estonian citizen to have perished in the Second World War, fighting the German forces in Narvik, Norway in May 1940. We commemorate the four hundred Estonian naval servicemen who died serving as crew on the ships of the US, the UK and other countries on the Atlantic and elsewhere.

We recall the Estonian naval servicemen who lost their lives in the Finnish Navy.

We commemorate the Estonian citizens who passed away in the Baltic Sea trying to escape from Estonia in the autumn of 1944.

We will not forget all the Estonians, both military and civilians who have lost their lives in war.