Estonia marks 87 years since Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Estonia on Sunday marked 87 years since the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, whose secret protocols paved the way for the occupation of independent countries, including Estonia, ERR reported.

The anniversary was commemorated in Tallinn with a public meeting at Hirvepark and a memorial ceremony at Koduiaed, part of the Estonian Memorial for Victims of Communism in Maarjamäe.

Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta said the day commemorating victims of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes is now observed mainly by countries that suffered both German and Soviet occupations.

“Elsewhere, it may seem that the Nuremberg trials resolved the matter, but in reality that was not the case. One side was punished while the other remained unpunished. The war in Ukraine is a continuation from that impunity,” Pakosta said.

Karl Erik Kirss of the Union of Student Councils said the pact and the events that followed it directly affect young people today.

“These tragic historical events, which led to what happened in the 20th century, still concern us today. We can still see the remnants of the Soviet era in the present day,” Kirss said.

Anne Eenpalu, chair of the Tallinn Memento council, said it was important to preserve the Estonian language and for everyone who has moved to Estonia or plans to do so to learn it.

“I, who was born into a family of deportees in Siberia, am very grateful to be in my free Estonian state, and I love my Estonian language. Every nation has its own ethnoculture, customs and food traditions, and these must be respected, but in a free country one must know the language of that country,” Eenpalu said.