| |
 | Speeches | | |
Speech by the President of the Republic at the reburial of Aleksander Warma on August 25, 2002, at Metsakalmistu25.08.2002
Honourable Relatives of Aleksander Warma and Marta Warma,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today we are laying to rest in the native soil the remains of an outstanding diplomat and statesman of the Republic of Estonia, Aleksander Warma, and his wife.
At last the ship of the man born in the village of Viinistu, who sailed as captain not only on the seas of the world but also in the diplomacy and whirlwinds of politics, has arrived in its home port for ever.
The short but complicated and rich in dangerous rocks history of Estonian independence has been coloured and determined by just this kind of our compatriots like Aleksander Warma. Deep-sea Captain, Chief of Staff of our Navy, lawyer, diplomat, Foreign Minister and Acting Minister of Justice in the Government of the Republic of Estonia in exile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign minister, Prime Minister Standing in for President - that much work and efforts, but above all responsibility have found a place in Aleksander Warma's life of eighty years.
It is characteristic of great men and women that what they have done and said is living on and is important also after their death. Aleksander Warma fought for Estonia's independence, defended our state both as diplomat and lawyer, and being in exile fought for the restoration and continuous recognition of the Republic of Estonia. His activities were as fruitful as that for he had thought them through, rendered them a sense and placed them in the context of both the Estonian and European history.
Today, the Republic of Estonia on the point of joining the European Union and NATO, his deliberations from the times of both the Second World War and the post-war Sweden on the future of Estonia and Europe give an impression of having been almost prophecies. On December 13, 1942, the Ambassador of Estonia to the Republic of Finland, Aleksander Warma wrote his thesis "On the Problems of Consolidating Peace in the Post-War Europe". There we can read: "Small and medium-sized countries should be united to quasi-confederative blocks. While uniting, all-European interests of preservation of peace, and economic, ethnographic and cultural-historical prerequisites are to be taken account of. Every state belonging to the union would perform its state functions independently, providing that these are not restricted with the statute defining the specific functions of the union. The collective central body of the union operating permanently shall be formed by the states belonging to the union based of the principle of parity." In a commentary written by himself he notes that: "As a natural social reaction to the devastations of World War I in Europe, which had been the most affected theatre of war, a whole range of small states were born. That was no coincidence but a natural reaction caused by the self-preservation of the humankind. Unfortunately, no right conclusions were drawn from those phenomena at that time." Protecting the right of small states for existence Aleksander Warma referred to renowned British historian Fisher who had written: "almost everything that is valuable and enduring in our culture has originated in small states. Quantitative assessment of human values, to which such a great importance is attached in modern political history, is wrong in its basics and gives a rather vulgar than noble impetus to aspirations of the people".
By the above thoughts Aleksander Warma did not deny the need for a functional co-ordination of European states. In the first place, he deemed it necessary to integrate small states into regional alliances, which would breed and advance social thinking instead of the so-called local patriotism. But neighbouring alliances, in his judgement, were to be formed in such a way, that threatening by a third party of a member state belonging to one of them would strategically concern both "neighbouring regional groups".
After World War II, Aleksander Warma actively took part in working out and putting into practice the principles of a new Europe. An essential milestone in the European movement was the establishment of a Central and Eastern Europe's Commission in 1949 targeting at creation - in collaboration between representatives of Western countries and exiled politicians from Central and Eastern - preconditions for uniting Europe as a whole, i.e. including the countries from behind the iron curtain. In the work of this commission also Aleksander Warma took part. He was convinced that Europe neither politically nor in economic terms could be complete without the countries at that time occupied by and within the violent sphere of influence of the Soviet Union.
Today, thirty years after the death of Aleksander Warma, we can observe that his vision of democratically integrated Europe is coming true. And we have every reason to feel proud that one of our compatriots had foreseen and approved it already decades ago.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
By what I have said I only could give a cursory overview of the work and convictions of this great Estonian statesman. Many of the Estonians don't know that Aleksander Warma, on top of that, was also a rather gifted painter and active journalist. For nearly forty years Aleksander Warma was supported and his joy and sorrow shared by his spouse, Marta Warma. Today we lay to rest in the Estonian soil also her remains.
It has been said that he who is capable of achieving much also is demanded much. Aleksander Warma never disappointed his people in their expectations but served them in every way and in his best faith.
Rest in peace, you Great Son of the Estonian people.
|
| |
|
vpk.ee
