The Address by President of the Republic, Chairman of the Riigikogu and Prime Minister on Mourning Day, June 14, 1999

Dear compatriots!

Fifty-eight years ago, this summer day in Estonia was as cloudless as today. But in the morning we were woken by the soldiers' boots and the buttstocks. The poet Kalju Lepik, whom we buried to Metsakalmistu last week, has put all the sorrow of our hearts in the four verses:

Lein rahvale sõbraks.
Siber kõigile sõbaks.
Sõgeneb sõgesikk.
Elu lühike. Kaubarong pikk.*

On this day of mourning, our nation commemorates all the victims taken from our midst by the June deportation, the March deportation, or any other crime against humanity. Let us gather around the grieving Estonian mother, bow our heads to the unknown Estonian soldier. But let us also remember, that we are no longer alone in our bereavement. The rules of international law, which also concern the bitter historical experience of Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians, have today become a common European value. On the mourning day, the Republic of Estonia emphasises that we shall condemn all crimes against humanity and bequeath to our children a safe homeland, whose future is firmly bound to the European security and democracy.

Lennart Meri
Toomas Savi
Mart Laar

* Grief shall be our friend. Siberia the shroud to cover us all. The sightless inherit the land. Life is so short. The echelon so long.

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