Members of the Seimas, as Signatories to the Act of Independence, shared their views on the 30th anniversary of the Day of Restoration of the Independence of Lithuania

Press release, 13 March 2020

 

At the sitting of the Seimas of 12 March 2020, as Signatories to the Act of Independence, Eugenijus Gentvilas, Kęstutis Glaveckas and Emanuelis Zingeris, Members of the Seimas, shared their thoughts on the 30th Anniversary of Restoration of the Independence. The following are the most important passages of their speeches.

Signatories to the Act of Independence, Emanuelis Zingeris, Kęstutis Glaveckas and Eugenijus Gentvilas, Members of the Seimas. Photo by Olga Posaškova, Office of the Seimas

 

Eugenijus Gentvilas:

‘Declared twice over a century and retained amid unfriendly countries, the independence, particularly at present, is truly a miracle admired by the world and envied by many nations worldwide.

With the declaration of our independence, we launched the demise of the empire of evil, thus ultimately destroying the Soviet Union. It took only well over a year and a half before the Soviet
Union was finally gone. We changed the world. Rather than bragging, we pride ourselves on being able to say this. Indeed, the balance of world power changed once Lithuania proclaimed its independence. At the same time, change came to Lithuania as well.

Lithuania has now reached new heights, which were inconceivable to us 30 years ago. After all, there are so many nations that are envious of the safety Lithuania gets from its membership in NATO and the strong and affluent European Union. What a progress Lithuania has made! I am grateful to all those who contribute to Lithuania’s further advancement.’

Kęstutis Glaveckas:

‘The independence that we have achieved is really not an everlasting thing. Not only was it fought for and regained 30 years ago, but will also have to be preserved for the next decades and for future generations, because I believe that in the future the world will face far more problems and challenges than we did in the past.

In my understanding, the greatest problem of many people of our country is that we have not learnt to enjoy life. This problem is, in my view, one of Lithuania’s most relevant and most painful issues of the last three decades.

The challenges that we are bound to face will relate to restoring of respect, mutual trust, and solidarity among people enjoying different opportunities in life.’

Emanuelis Zingeris:

‘Thirty years have gone by in a flash.

The day of the 11th of March, 1990, was a relief because of the nagging feeling that the Soviet reality was fake.

Every day felt like an eternity. Can you imagine that! [...] After the decisive 11th of March, we came under pressure. Therefore, every day seemed like it lasted a thousand hours. This was how we felt 17 months straight after the 11th of March, 1990.

Rebuilding mutual trust is the principal task of our state and our nation. We must treat each other with dignity and respect different opinions in the same way as Iceland did when they dared to take the bold step of recognising our independence 30 years ago.’

 

Rimas Rudaitis, Chief Specialist, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6132, e-mail: [email protected]