[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1142-S1143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        LITHUANIAN INDEPENDENCE

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, when one looks at a largely unified and 
democratic Europe, today it is easy to forget just how different it was 
in Eastern Europe not that long ago. For half a century, millions lived 
under the tyranny and repression of the Soviet Union.
  But in the late 1980s, things began to change, particularly in the 
Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Who can forget when 2 
million people joined hands across these three nations to form the 420-
mile Baltic Chain of Freedom in August 1989? And not long after in 
February of the following year, Lithuania held its first free elections 
since World War II, voting for the country's first postwar non-
Communist government. Immediately thereafter, the new Parliament voted 
to make Lithuania the first occupied Soviet republic to declare 
independence. Lithuania's bold move was followed later that year by 
Latvia and Estonia. These brave efforts culminated a year later in 
February 1991, when the Lithuania people overwhelmingly voted for 
independence--a historic move recognized by the US and Soviet Union 
that same year.
  My first visit to Lithuania was nearly 40 years ago, but my ties 
reach back even further. One hundred years ago, my grandmother left her 
village of Jubarkas with her three small children to join my 
grandfather in America. In her arms, she carried a 2-year-old toddler--
my mother, Ona Kutkaite.
  Hidden in my grandmother's baggage was a small Catholic prayer book, 
printed in Vilnius in 1863, the last year before printing in Lithuanian 
was outlawed by the czars. That prayer book--the last, cherished relic 
of my family's life in their beautiful and ancient home--escaped the 
czars and was kept safe with our family in America during the brutal 
Soviet occupation. When I had the honor of addressing the Seimas of the 
Republic of Lithuania on the 20th anniversary of independence, I was 
proud to bring that prayer book home to a free Lithuania. Those brave 
Lithuanians 30 years ago--including my friend Vytautus Landsbergis, who 
served as Lithuanian's first post-independence head of state--led the 
country to a prosperous and democratic future.
  Lithuania today is a vital member of the European Union, NATO, and 
the community of democracies. It held the presidency of the European 
Union earlier this decade and is a leading voice on the continent for 
standing up to Russia, defending Ukraine, and upholding key democratic 
values. And as it faces renewed threats from Russia, I have been a 
strong supporter of strengthening NATO operations and defenses in the 
Baltic nations. A few years ago, I visited the Lithuanian town of 
Rukla, where U.S. and German forces were rotating through as part of 
the European Reassurance Initiative aimed at keeping the Baltic safe.
  As the cochair of the Senate Baltic Caucus, I will be introducing a 
resolution in the weeks ahead reaffirming this security cooperation and 
recognizing Lithuania's great achievements around its 30th anniversary 
of independence.
  In February 1990, when I came to Lithuania as part of an American 
delegation to observe the historic elections, my friends took me inside 
the Seimas to show me the arsenal of the Lithuanian freedom fighters. 
In the corner stood a handful of old rifles--no

[[Page S1143]]

match for the Soviet war machine. But Lithuanians were armed with 
stronger weapons--faith, courage, and a burning desire to reclaim their 
independence. Because of the sacrifices of so many patriots, known and 
unknown, we can proudly and without fear proclaim here today on the 
30th anniversary of these historic events: Laisva Lietuva. Free 
Lithuania. Now and always.
  So let us use this historic anniversary to recommit to our continued 
support for our Baltic allies through economic and security cooperation 
and to reaffirm America's commitment to NATO and the enduring 
transatlantic alliance. Doing so will help ensure the next 30 years of 
the longstanding U.S.-Baltic friendship are equally strong and 
fruitful.

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