Estonia and Latvia to demand compensation from Russia for Soviet occupation
Estonia and Latvia will demand indemnification from the Soviet occupation from Russia. Postimees reported that this was announced during a round table meeting with the participation of Estonian and Latvian experts who are dedicated to the issue of damages caused by the occupation by the Soviet Union, and consequently the legal successor, which is Russia.
According to the Minister of Justice of Estonia, Urmas Reinsalu, because the state is now independent, they should also assume responsibility for their past.
“It was the 25-year anniversary of the restoration of Estonia’s independence yesterday. The two generations of slavery that preceded it caused immense suffering to our people. You cannot create a future without understanding the past. We must gather our courage and defend our rights as it will make us stronger,” Reinsalu said.
“At today's meeting, we agreed that we will continue to cooperate. We will get together this fall with Lithuania to jointly assess the damage caused by the occupation. We believe that the consequences of the occupation must be made public. This is the only way people will develop an idea of how great the losses were,” this was said by the head of the Latvian delegation, Ruta Pazdera.
At the beginning of November 2015, the Baltic Ministers of Justice signed a memorandum of cooperation in Riga. This involves coordinating the presentation of claims against Russia for damages suffered by Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia during the occupation.
According to Reinsalu, Russia is the legal successor of the USSR. The Ministers of Justice believe that this is what allows the Baltic States to present the claims to the Russian Federation.