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“For us, the three restored Baltic democracies, these 35 years mark a time of maturity. A moment when we can look back on our achievements, whilst also setting new objectives for the future,” said Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 20 August, addressing colleagues in the Parliament of Estonia and congratulating the people of Estonia on the 35th anniversary of the restoration of their independence.
The Speaker of the Saeima highlighted the work that still lies ahead, emphasising greater support from the European Union (EU) to farmers and cohesion policy, strengthening security in the Baltic states and along the entire eastern border of the EU and NATO, economic development, and the importance of Rail Baltica.
“We need to invest in future development now. In the framework of CERN, a group of Baltic scientists has made great strides to enable the future establishment of a particle therapy centre for cancer treatment in the Baltics. It would be a tremendous contribution to both science and health care. To this end, we need to remove bureaucratic obstacles and immediately launch a feasibility study for the project,” said Mieriņa.
The Speaker of the Saeima also underscored in her speech that the Baltic nations are the strongest supporters of Ukraine’s independence, because we know and understand the price of freedom.
Today, in Tallinn, the Speakers of the Baltic states adopted a joint statement on continuing support for Ukraine and common priorities. The parliamentarians emphasise the achievements of our countries, their unity in important strategic decisions, and the resolution to continue strongly supporting Ukraine and its independence. The statement also stresses the necessity to hold Russia accountable for all the crimes and violations of international law it has committed.
The Speakers of the Latvian, Estonian, and Lithuanian parliaments also stress the need for Europe to assume greater responsibility in strengthening its own security and participating in NATO as reliable and capable allies. Strong NATO presence, including that of the US forces in the Baltic region, is an essential element of effective and credible deterrence, according to the joint statement.
The parliamentarians also emphasise the importance of working together in the negotiations on the new EU Multiannual Financial Framework, particularly in the areas of defence, cohesion policy, connectivity, and agriculture.
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Saeima Press Service