Prague-Wrocław, 10.06.2024 – The PEMC thanks President Gitanas Nauseda for his letter written for the international conference “Crimes of Totalitarianism – Justice and Remembrance in the 21st Century”, organised by the Platform on the 15th of May in Vilnius. Forgetting leads to repeating and a good example of this statement would be the recent attempts made by Russia to rewrite its history and the atrocities committed by the Soviet Union in Eastern and Central Europe in the 20th century.

We thus fully agree with President Nausėda that remembrance and education are powerful tools with which we can counter disinformation and thus avoid making the same mistakes as in the past. We furthermore welcome his support for establishing a Foundation of European Memory and Conscience, as well as a Memorial for the Victims of Totalitarianism in Brussels. Understanding the full truth of the stain left by authoritarian regimes on the European continent remains one of our biggest priorities.

The PEMC welcomes the continuation of its successful cooperation with the Lithuanian state and strives to continue to work towards our common goal: achieving a better future for Europe through remembrance. 

Using this opportunity the Platform of European Memory and Conscience offers its most sincere congratulations to President Gitanas Nausėda, for his recent re-election as President of Lithuania. 

Address by Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania, at the international conference ‘Crimes of Totalitarianism – Justice and Remembrance in the 21st Century’

 

Dear participants of the international conference,

Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said that those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

Today, I feel that so many experts coming to Vilnius to discuss the dark history of totalitarianism is a good sign.

It is an excellent follow-up to the conference on Russia’s hybrid warfare organized in Prague in 2022. 

Today, we still need to mobilize the transatlantic community to counter Russian disinformation and propaganda, especially its attempts to rewrite history and whitewash the crimes of Communist totalitarian regimes.

For a long time, we all hoped that totalitarian repressions, mass murder and other crimes against humanity belong to the European past.

Sadly, in the wake of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we see some of the worst mistakes of the past being repeated. This comes from the failure to understand some of the most important lessons of the 20th century.

Not only in Russia but also across many European countries, there has been this tendency to forget that the Nazi regime did not act alone in bringing about the Second World War. It was also the Soviet Union, another totalitarian country, that tried to destroy the world order by attacking, occupying and illegally annexing neighboring countries.

Today, Russia is using this collective amnesia not only to cover but also to justify new acts of aggression, including those against Ukraine. 

It is no coincidence that the Russian people still regard Iosif Stalin as one of their most prominent leaders. The whole modern Russian identity is based on this peculiar notion that aggressive territorial expansion represents true national greatness.

The glorification of mass murderers – any mass murderers – is not something we can agree on. For us in Lithuania, the Second World War is a recent phenomenon, because we still remember the occupying force leaving in 1993. And we feel we cannot remain silent while Russia systematically rewrites history, whitewashing the many crimes of the Soviet totalitarian regime.

Thus, I am grateful that the Czech Republic responded to the call made by Lithuania and other countries to strengthen the Prague-based Platform of European Memory and Conscience. Lithuania supports the proposal to establish a Foundation of European Memory and Conscience and dedicate EU operational and financial support for the investigation and remembrance of crimes committed by totalitarian regimes. The completion of the memorial for the Victims of Totalitarianism in Brussels would be a most welcome step in the right direction.

Today, I salute the members of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience for their instrumental role in exposing the crimes of major totalitarian regimes – both Nazi and Communist ones. I also welcome every expert willing to work on the issue of European memory and all the politicians ready to show leadership. Thank you!

 

Gitanas Nausėda

President of the Republic of Lithuania

Vilnius, 2024