[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[May 7, 2005]
[Pages 759-764]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's News Conference With President Vaira Vike-
Freiberga of Latvia, President Arnold 
Ruutel of Estonia, and President Valdas 
Adamkus of Lithuania in Riga
May 7, 2005

    President Vike-Freiberga. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming 
to this joint press conference of the three Baltic Presidents and the 
President of the United States of America. We have just had a meeting 
together and the most fruitful discussion about our transatlantic 
relationships and also on the relationship between the two institutions 
of which Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania have become members since the 
past year, the relationship between NATO and the European Union.
    We are honored and pleased to have this opportunity to have a great 
leader from a great and powerful country come to our region and show 
interest in what happens here and to have this open and very frank 
debate with the three Baltic Presidents. With this, I pass the floor to 
the President of Lithuania, President Valdas Adamkus.
    President Adamkus. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, this was an 
extremely good meeting and at a very good time. We are welcoming the 
President of the United States here; as I said, welcome back to the 
shores of the Baltic Sea. And it was during the discussions we really 
touched on vital issues: the relationship between the United States and 
the European continent as--in a whole. We touched on issues concerning 
directly the relationship between Baltic States and, of course, on the 
global issues.
    On the part of Lithuania, I have reassured the President that we are 
staunch allies in a fight against terrorism. We will be standing 
shoulder to shoulder on general global issues concerning the humanity 
and especially in an event when we are celebrating the end of World War 
II against--the victory against nazism and, at the same time, standing 
for the principles which are dear to the rest of the world community, 
principles of democracy, protection of the human rights, principles of 
free expression.
    And there was total agreement, and I can reassure the President of 
the United States that we will be standing and defending the rights of 
the people, even those neighbors who are still--for them, democracy is a 
dream. And by standing and speaking freely, and I would say, introducing 
some kind of a dose of oxygen into the resistance and opposition which 
is striving for those same rights we are enjoying, we will definitely 
defend and make a better world, looking into the future.
    And I am grateful to the President for his presence here in the 
Baltic States, his inspiration and strength for all of us to continue 
our commitments. Thank you, Mr. President.
    President Vike-Freiberga. President Ruutel.
    President Ruutel. Honored colleagues, esteemed press, I'm very happy 
about today's meeting, and the high-level contacts between our countries 
have produced very essential and fruitful cooperation. The will and 
desire with which the United States has supported the endeavors of our 
people have proven to be very fruitful.
    It has already been a year since we have become members of NATO and 
the European Union. Today's meeting once again reaffirms the deep 
friendship and the strong relationship between our countries.
    We were talking about the means with which we can help democracy, 
peace, and welfare to other countries, which some countries do not enjoy 
even in the 21st century. We reassure you that Estonia is willing to 
share its experiences with these

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countries that are going towards these goals.
    I want to thank those soldiers from Estonia and the United States 
who are now fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. Estonia is very 
satisfied with the progress made in Ukraine and Georgia and is prepared 
to continue supporting their endeavors.
    We also talked about our relationship with Russia in our 
discussions. Not only Estonia but in the interests of all countries, it 
is best to have as a partner a stable and democratic Russia who shares 
our values and is open for constructive cooperation.
    Although we talk primarily of the future, we must realize that the 
analysis of the past is essential for future relationships between 
countries. We are celebrating the passing of 60 years from the end of 
the Second World War and the defeat of nazism. But this victory did not 
bring freedom and democracy to many peoples, and of course I mean the 
Baltic States, who lost their independence for a long period of time. 
And I would especially like to emphasize the United States role, who 
never recognized the occupation of the Baltic States.
    The efforts of the United States and the Baltics allow us here in 
Riga today to celebrate the victory of freedom. Our people are working 
together in the transatlantic sphere and throughout the world. Thank you 
for your attention.
    President Vike-Freiberga. Questions? No. First, we have President 
Bush, who would like to make a statement. [Laughter] I think maybe 
company from across the ocean should be given a chance to make a 
statement as well. [Laughter]
    President Bush. It's kind of dangerous--as you know, I'm a little 
long-winded. But thank you, Madam President. Thank you for hosting 
Laura and me and my delegation here to Latvia. 
The hospitality has been tremendous, and we really thank you.
    And it's such an honor to be standing here with the leaders of three 
close allies and friends, such incredibly important symbols of what 
freedom can mean to this neighborhood and to countries in the world. And 
so we--we're proud to be here with you all, fellow members of NATO.
    One objective of my trip is to honor the memories of those who 
sacrificed 60 years ago in the struggle against nazism and fascism. 
Tomorrow I'll be in the cemetery in the Netherlands to pay tribute to a 
generation that was willing to sacrifice for freedom and peace. But I 
recognize that in the West, the end of the Second World War meant peace, 
but in the Baltics, it brought occupation and Communist oppression. And 
the American people will never forget the occupation and Communist 
oppression of the people of the Baltics. We recognize your painful 
history.
    I want to congratulate our friends and allies who stand here with me 
on the progress you've made in the past decade. You see, one of the 
important examples of these three countries is that not only have they 
become free societies, but they've learned to adapt to the conditions of 
a free society. It's not easy to go from communism to democracy, and yet 
these three nations have shown the world how to do so, and we 
congratulate you on your good, hard work. Your economies are 
flourishing; people are allowed to express their opinions. As a result, 
you've been readily accepted into NATO and now the EU. And the world is 
better off because of the hard decisions your Governments have made.
    I also want to thank you for your hard work in helping democracy 
spread in the neighborhood. We had a really good discussion today about 
Belarus. We talked about the Ukraine and Georgia and Moldova. We talked 
about Russia and the relationship between the Baltics and Russia. These 
three nations have also recognized that those of us who are free have a 
responsibility to help others be free outside of our neighborhoods. And 
I want to thank you for your contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan. To 
this end, I discussed my request for

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the U.S. Solidarity Fund--my request to the Congress for the U.S. 
Solidarity Fund to help these nations who have deployed troops to be 
able to better afford those deployments.
    We talked about bilateral relations as well. As you can imagine, one 
topic that came up with all three leaders was visa policy. I talked 
about the way forward to make sure our visa policy works well with our 
friends and allies. Part of the issue, of course, is that in the past--
we've looked to past history to determine future visa policy, and now 
we've begun to change looking at the past. In other words, the overstays 
during occupation must be viewed differently now that the three 
countries have been freed. And we look forward to working with you on 
the way forward to reasonable and fair visa policy.
    There are thousands of people in my country who have come from your 
countries. They send best regards. And I say to you, thank you for being 
such good friends and colleagues, and thank you for your hospitality 
again, Madam President.
    Now, if you'd like to do something you may do so. [Laughter]
    President Vike-Freiberga. Thank you for that statement, Mr. 
President.
    We do have a limited time at our disposal, and I understand that the 
framework is to be one question to each President. So we'll start with a 
question to President Adamkus.
    President Bush. Or you have four Presidents to me--questions to me, 
if that's what you would like.
    President Vike-Freiberga. There's a question out there.

Belarus

    Q. Yes--[inaudible]--from Lithuanian Television. Actually, I have a 
question to President Bush.
    President Bush. Yes, I thought that might be the case. [Laughter]
    Q. Regarding what you said recently, that democratic Belarus is also 
in Russia's interest, can there be a deal between Washington and Moscow 
whereby Russia would make sure that President Lukashenko is not 
reelected next year, and in return, Washington would encourage or would 
hail the democracy there but turn a blind eye on the continued Russia's 
influence there? Or are you prepared to go all the way?
    President Bush. No, that's an interesting question: Can you make a 
deal to determine somebody else's fate? I think that's what we're 
lamenting here today, about what happened to the Baltics--you know, kind 
of one of those secret deals amongst large powers that consigns people 
to a way of government. No, we don't make secret deals. The only deal 
that I think is a necessary deal for people is the deal of freedom. They 
should be allowed to express themselves in free and open and fair 
elections in Belarus.
    And that's--and as to whether or not it's in Russia's interest that 
democracies be on her border, absolutely it's in Russia's interest that 
she have friends and have neighbors who are democracies. We're used to 
that in America. We've got democracies on our border. And it's a 
blessing to have democracies on our border. We don't always agree, by 
the way, with our friends on our borders, but we are able to settle 
disputes peacefully because we are democracies.
    And so I will continue to speak as clearly as I can to President 
Putin that it's in his country's interests 
that there be democracies on his borders. I mean, after all, look at the 
three nations here. These are peaceful, prosperous nations that are good 
neighbors with Russia and good neighbors with each other and good 
neighbors elsewhere as well.

Estonia-U.S. Relations

    President Vike-Freiberga. A question from the Estonian side.
    Q. [Inaudible]--I have a question to Mr. President Bush, but I will 
ask it in Estonia language.

[[Page 762]]

[At this point, the reporter continued in Estonian.]

    President Bush. All right, I need the English translation. Start 
over.

[The reporter continued in Estonian, and his questions were translated 
by an interpreter.]

    Q. For Estonia, it's very important to have good relations with the 
United States, and right now the relation has been very good. Which 
ranking would the relations of Estonia have in American foreign policy 
today and also in the future? Thank you.
    President Bush. Say that again. I'm getting kind of old, and I'm 
having trouble hearing.
    Q. I would like to know what is the ranking today and in the future 
in American foreign policy, the relations with Estonia? What is the 
ranking?
    President Bush. Now that the President's standing here, very 
important. No--[laughter]--look, I don't think a President can rank, but 
a President can praise, and I praise Estonia for being an open-market 
economy that is a free society. And therefore, if you're a free society 
that embraces market economies, you'll rank very high with me and the 
United States.
    The example of the Baltics is so vital for countries who are 
emerging from tyrannies to--and oppressive governments to free 
societies. It's really important. And that's why the active 
participation of the three leaders here in helping NGOs and civil 
societies develop in new democracies is vital, because who has got more 
credibility with leaders in new democracies than the three leaders here, 
who have had the experience of helping a democracy emerge?
    And so you rank very high, as far as I'm concerned, as participants 
in the freedom movement, the ability to inspire by example and lend 
expertise because of the experience you've had.
    President Vike-Freiberga. Thank you very much. A question from the 
Latvian side.

Democracy in Eastern Europe

    Q. My question goes to Mr. Bush, and the other leaders too if they 
want to answer. And I will ask it in Latvian.

[The reporter continued in Latvian, and her question was translated by 
an interpreter.]

    Q. Today, during negotiations, you talked about the relationship 
with Russia. Did you talk about the possibility of asking Mr. Putin to 
recognize occupation of the Baltic States in Moscow? You have, of late, 
so strongly supported the attempts of the Baltic States to explain their 
history. Do you expect anything to come of it? Thank you.
    President Bush. My position on that issue is very clear and has been 
clear about the occupation. And the position of my country has been 
clear about the occupation ever since the occupation took place. We 
proudly flew the flags of independent nations above your Embassies in 
Washington, DC, and the statement was clear: We never recognized nor 
accepted the occupation that did take place.
    I think this moment in history will be--give everybody a chance to 
recognize what took place in the past and move on. And look, I fully 
understand there's a lot of anger and frustration involved in the three 
Baltic countries about the occupation. I expressed that to President 
Putin, but he didn't need me to tell him. He 
fully understands there's a lot of frustrations and anger about what 
took place.
    My hope is that we're now able to move beyond that phase of history 
into a phase that is embracing democracy and free societies. These are 
extraordinary times that we're living in, and the three Baltic countries 
are capable of helping Russia and other countries in this part of the 
world see the benefits of what it means to live in a free society.
    And so we have a great opportunity to move beyond the past. Again, I 
repeat to you, I recognize the painful history, and my hope is that 
we're able to learn the

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lessons from that painful history, that tyranny is evil and people 
deserve to live in a free society.
    As I'm going to say in my speech a little later on here, I'm going 
to say, ``Never again should we allow Jews and Gypsies to be 
exterminated and the world not pay close attention to it. Never again 
should we let--shall we tolerate tyranny and subjugating people to 
incredible death. We have an obligation as free societies never to 
forget that history and to do something about the possibility of that 
arising again.''
    And so, I am inspired by the example of the Baltic nations. I'm 
inspired by your courage of the past and your determination to move 
forward in a free society.
    Jennifer [Jennifer Loven, Associated Press].
    Q. Russia has expressed some displeasure with your travel itinerary, 
stopping here----
    President Bush. With what, now?
    Q. Russia has expressed some displeasure with your travel itinerary 
on this trip, stopping here in Latvia and going to Georgia----
    President Bush. Yes.
    Q. There's also some criticism that the U.S. is behind the 
revolutionary change in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan. What do you 
say to talk that the U.S. is inappropriately meddling in the 
neighborhood?
    President Bush. Oh, no, I thank you for that. First of all, this is 
not my first trip to the Baltics, and hopefully, it will not be my last 
trip to the Baltics. We've got good friends here. And as I travel around 
the world, I like to touch base with our friends.
    Revolution--I think you said the word ``revolution''--freedom is 
universal. Freedom is etched in everybody's soul. And the idea of 
countries helping others become free, I would hope that would be viewed 
as not revolutionary but rational foreign policy, as decent foreign 
policy, as humane foreign policy.
    I repeat to you that I think countries ought to feel comfortable 
with having democracies on their borders. After all, democracies are 
peaceful countries. Democracies don't fight each other, and democracies 
are good neighbors. You know, it's amazing how far this continent has 
come because of the freedom movement. Sixty years ago--it's really not 
all that long ago in the march of history, is it? It's pretty long if 
you're 30 years old, like you are, but 60 is not all that long for an 
old guy like President Adamkus. [Laughter] But now we're standing here 
talking about other parts of the world taking for granted that Europe is 
whole, free, and at peace. It shows how much life has changed as a 
result of people embracing an ideology that encourages peace.
    And we now have the same opportunity, this generation has the same 
opportunity to leave behind lasting peace for the next generation by 
working on the spread of freedom and democracy. And the United States 
has got great partners in doing what I think is our duty to spread 
democracy and freedom, with the three nations represented here.
    And so my trip here, Jennifer, is to say as clearly as I can to the 
people of these three great countries, ``Thank you for your sacrifices. 
Thank you for your courage, and thank you for your willingness to elect 
people who are willing to spread freedom and peace around the world.''
    May God bless your countries, and may God continue to bless mine. 
Thank you very much.

Note: The President's news conference began at 2:40 p.m. in the Grand 
Hall at the Riga Latvian Society House. In his remarks, President Bush 
referred to President Vladimir Putin of Russia. A reporter referred to 
President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus. President Ruutel spoke in 
Estonian, and his remarks were translated by an interpreter.

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