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The President of the Republic at a festive meeting devoted to the 85th anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty in the Vanemuine Theatre, in Tartu, on February 2, 2005
02.02.2005


Honourable Ladies and Gentlemen!

85 years ago, in Tartu, only a few hundred meters away from here, the Tartu Peace Treaty was signed between the Republic of Estonia and Soviet Russia of that time. As a result of that treaty, the war that had lasted nearly a year and a half ended giving Estonia a possibility to be recognised internationally. The peace treaty also gave a possibility to create a secure and rapidly developing state for our people.

We have often referred to the Tartu Peace Treaty in the context of the War of Independence and our present defence willingness. But less attention has been paid to the Peace Treaty as one of the greatest diplomatic achievements of the young Estonian state. The ability to assess complicated international situation, willingness to find solutions and stand for the interests of your country were commendable. These were the factors that gave Estonia a realistic possibility to gain its sovereignty.

Without the Tartu Peace Treaty, Estonia had not been able to heal the wounds caused by the War of Independence and had not been recognised as an independent state. Yet, in order to achieve that, at first we had to make enormous efforts to get a chance to take a seat at the negotiation table at all.

Let us recall that the western countries tried, at any cost, to maintain the common antibolshevik front. Therefore, a chance that Estonia would pull off from that bloc was not desirable. At the same time, for Estonia, the peace negotiations with Russia proceeded with difficulties. The very fact that a state that was still establishing its existence was able to achieve the signing of peace treaty, was a proof of its capability to function as an independent state.

Jaan Poska, the head of the Estonian negotiation delegation, explained the real meaning of the peace treaty for Estonians saying: "Today is the most important day for Estonia during its 700-year history, today is the first time that Estonia determines its own fate."

In order to secure the independence of the state, the principles that if you wanted peace, prepare for peace and secure it, was applied. Although, the arms of the War of Independence had been silenced on January 3, 1920, a systematic work of state building was started right after the declaration of independence.

The fact of active participation in the elections for the Constitutional Assembly, in April 1919, testified that, in spite of the war, the people were thinking how to organise the life in their own state. These expectations were supported by subsequent land reform and reorganisation of educational and cultural life.

We can only admire the scope of activities and perseverance of the state leaders of that time. I would like to bring some examples: the Estonian language Tartu University was opened, the Pallas Art School and the Estonian Writers' Union started their work, the first session of the State Court of Justice was held. All those steps, including the adoption of a new constitution in the summer of 1920, were taken within a short period of time, and most of that happened when the war was still going on.

The state-building value of those steps opened with the Tartu Peace Treaty that substantiated the Republic of Estonia. We had then, as we have today, every reason to be proud of the politicians, diplomats and soldiers of that time, who brought freedom and peace to our people.

The ability of protecting more general interest, without betraying your own beliefs, is always worth to be appreciated. Juri Lotman has said that we should try to be sufficiently alike the others to make it possible to communicate with us, but yet, different enough to make the communication with us worthwhile

Dear listeners!

The Tartu Peace Treaty fixed the eastern border of the Republic of Estonia, which stood for only twenty years. Unfortunately, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the result of conspiracy between two great powers, the Stalinist Soviet Union and Fascist Germany, turned out to be the supreme determinant on which the fate of many sovereign nations as well as the borders depended. Following the restoration of Estonian independence the border negotiations with Russia were started and the border agreement was initialised in 1999. The border agreement reflects the realities, which had occured in the world during half a century when Estonia had been occupied.

We have to be aware of those facts, but we have to look also into the future. The Estonian-Russian border is now the eastern border of the European Union. The state border in today's world has different meanings - it is the boundary of a space where national interests are protected, but it is also the boundary of a space of common interests of nations that share the same values.

I would like to invite you to look a little further than your closest surroundings, both in time and space, and try to look also through a stranger's eyes. I wish that each of us would help, to the best of one's ability, that our nation could live in peace and that our 87-year old state could prosper and develop further.
We celebrated 2004 as the Year of the Estonian Flag, which I proclaimed here, in Tartu, precisely a year ago. This summer, the 120-year old national flag was flying once again at Otepää, and when marching under the blue-black-white flags, at the Song Festival, at the Olympics, and at many other occasions, we certainly experienced a growing pride in our Fatherland and our independence. I now declare the Year of the Estonian Flag ended and wish us patriotic spirit also for the years to come!


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