    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [May 7, 2005]
    [Pages 764-765]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    May 7, 2005

        Good morning. On Sunday and Monday, I will attend ceremonies in the
    Netherlands and Russia to commemorate the 60th anniversary of V-E Day.
        These events will celebrate a great triumph of good over evil. We
    will never forget the acts of courage that made possible the liberation
    of a continent or the heroes who fought in the cause of freedom. And we
    honor the brave Americans and Allied troops who humbled tyrants,
    defended the innocent, and liberated the oppressed. By their courage and
    sacrifice, they showed the world that there is no power like the power
    of freedom and no soldier as strong as a soldier who fights for that
    freedom.
        The defeat of Nazi Germany brought an end to the armed conflict in
    Europe. Unfortunately, for millions of people on that continent, tyranny
    remained in a different uniform. In Latvia, where I'm also visiting on
    this trip, free people were taken captive by another totalitarian
    empire. Germany was split into free and unfree halves. And countries
    like Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary were cut off from liberty by an
    Iron Curtain. The people of these countries survived the cold war
    through great
    courage, and then they took history into their own hands and reclaimed
    their freedom.
        The result is, the continent of Europe, wounded by decades of
    conflict and oppression, is today whole, free, and at peace for the
    first time in its history. The wave of democracy that swept Central and
    Eastern Europe in 1989 has now swept to nations like Georgia and
    Ukraine. And the victory for freedom represented by V-E Day has become a
    reality for millions of people.
        On my trip, I will visit Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, to
    applaud the people there for the Rose Revolution that advanced democracy
    in their land. Georgia has survived oppression, fought for liberty, and
    taken its place among free nations. America is proud to call Georgia our
    partner in freedom, and we will help the people of that country enhance
    prosperity, improve security, and spread liberty at home and abroad.
        The new democracies of Europe still have much work to do. Free
    elections are a significant achievement, yet they are only part of a
    fully functioning democracy. Democratic governments must be committed to
    providing full and equal rights for minorities, resolving conflicts
    peacefully, encouraging a vibrant political opposition, and ensuring the
    rule of law. As the nations of Central and Eastern Europe work to build
    up the institutions necessary for a free society, America will stand by
    their side.
        Today, these nations are standing with us as we defend liberty
    abroad. Freedom has no better friends than those with a fresh memory of
    tyranny. That is why countries like Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and
    Georgia have been partners in our coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    We're grateful for their contributions and especially for the example
    they are setting for other aspiring democracies.
        America and these new democracies are bound together by history, by
    the universal rights we have defended together, and by our deepest
    convictions. All of us understand that the advance of freedom is the
    concentrated work of generations, from the brave Americans who fought
    against Nazi Germany 60 years ago to those who struggle for liberty
    today. And by working together, we will ensure that the promise of
    liberty and democracy won on V-E Day will one day reach every person and
    every nation in the 21st century.
        Thank you for listening.

    [[Page 765]]

    Note: The address was recorded at 2:55 p.m. e.d.t. on May 5 in the
    Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. e.d.t. on
    May 7. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on May 6 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.
    Due to the 7-hour time difference, the radio address was broadcast after
    the President's news conference and before his remarks in Riga. The
    Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of this address.