Press release, 22 August 2014
Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, unveiled one of the billboards commemorating the Baltic Way on the road of national importance A2 Vilnius–Panevėžys. A total of 23 billboards were concurrently unveiled across the three Baltic States: nine in Lithuania, ten in Latvia, and four in Estonia. In her welcome address, Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, called on the audience to preserve the memory of the sense of community which was at the core of the Baltic human chain 25 years ago. “Exactly 25 years ago, a human chain connected the people in Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn. Two million Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians of all ages joined hands to demonstrate to nations across the globe that the Baltic States stood in unity and were determined to be free. Never will we forget the genuine feeling of unity and togetherness.”
Participants of the event also included Rimantas Sinkevičius, Minister of Transport, Skirmantas Skrinskas, Director of the Lithuanian Road Administration, and Vincas Jasiukevičius, Mayor of Širvintos.
Juozas Stepankevičius, road construction agency worker, said at the event that he would never forget the feeling he had when he first saw the live human chain made of thousands of people on the road that was yet uncompleted at the time.
For the complete programme of the events commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Baltic Way, please go to http://baltijoskelias.lrs.lt/.
On 23 August 1989, the Baltic nations expressed their resolute determination and will to be free and restore the independence of their states. About 2 million Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians joined hands in a live human chain stretching 620 kilometres from Vilnius through Riga to Tallinn. The peaceful rally drew the attention of the world. In 2009, the Baltic Way was included in the UNESCO international register “Memory of the World.”
Justė Radzevičiūtė-Laugalienė, Public Relations Unit, Communications Department, Office of the Seimas, tel. + 370 5 239 6210, e-mail [email protected]
