Speeches

Welcome Address by President Dalia Grybauskaitė to the Participants of the Seimas Sitting Dedicated to the 35th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act and to Lithuania’s Upcoming OSCE Chairmanship

Distinguished Members of the Seimas,
Dear Guests,

The Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe signed in Helsinki in 1975 was an extraordinary event of great political significance to Europe. The Helsinki Accords provided the groundwork for economic, scientific and environmental cooperation, defined a framework for European security, and built a foundation for trust and confidence among the nations, placing a special focus on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The document reaffirmed the inviolability of national borders.

The Helsinki Final Act stands as a moral commitment by the signatory states to the principles of democracy, cooperation and respect for human rights.

The fact that it was also signed by the Soviet Union allowed Lithuania's struggle for freedom and independence to partially step out of the underground into the official limelight. The Helsinki spirit led to the creation of Helsinki groups, which monitored and reported violations of human rights and freedoms and which consolidated the nation on the path of resistance, even in the face of a repressive regime. Helsinki groups continued to influence political developments later on as well, when the national revival movement Sąjūdis emerged in the eighties, placing the final touch in the case of Lithuanian independence.

Lithuania is only one of many examples. The value of the Helsinki Final Act lies in bringing the freedom fighters of all nations together on the strong foundation of mutual understanding and support.

The Helsinki Act continues to be valid and viable. It constitutes an ideology of human rights and freedoms. Today, the Helsinki spirit is protected by the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe, which emerged as a direct result of the Helsinki conference.

It is highly symbolic that next year the OSCE will be chaired by Lithuania - a country where Helsinki groups and their work eventually led to national revival and independence.

Having lived through such a dramatic and meaningful experience, Lithuania values and understands the Helsinki spirit.

During its chairmanship of the OSCE, Lithuania will do everything it can to bring support to those places where human rights are violated, where people are persecuted and imprisoned for their political, religious, national and other beliefs.

Helsinki groups and their work had taught us to never give in. Now, we have a unique opportunity to spread this experience and to preserve the achievements attained in the development of European democracy.