Thirty-five years ago today, the freely-elected parliament of Lithuania declared that the country was restoring its independence after about 50 years of Soviet occupation.
This started the breakup of the Soviet Union.
The end of that evil empire made the world safer and millions of people freer.
So, I say “thank you,” Lithuania – or I should say “ãciu.”
Lithuania didn’t become a country just in the 1990s, however. It is a very old country.
In fact, it was a significant regional power in the Middle Ages.
The modern Republic of Lithuania was born on February 16, 1918.
The United States has maintained continuous diplomatic relations with Lithuania for now 103 years, going back to 1922.
As an American, I am proud that our country never recognized the Soviet annexation of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, just like we don’t recognize Russia’s annexation of any part of Ukraine this very day.
Today, Lithuania is free and prosperous.
Lithuania is a close U.S. ally and a beacon of Western values on the front lines of freedom.
I thank Lithuania for its friendship, for its important contributions to the NATO alliance and for its vocal defense of our shared values.
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