Congratulating the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 20th anniversary of their declarations on the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 267) congratulating the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 20th anniversary of the reestablishment of their full independence, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution that congratulates Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 20th anniversary of their declarations on the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank Representative Shimkus, the gentleman from Illinois, and a good friend of the Baltic people, for introducing this measure today.

In June 1940, Soviet troops occupied the Baltic states under the auspices of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and then forcibly incorporated them into the Soviet Union. The following year, Nazi Germany invaded the Baltic states and illegally incorporated them into the Third Reich.

The Soviet Union re-occupied the Baltic states in 1945 until they regained their independence in 1991. During this period of foreign domination, thousands of Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians were subject to brutal repression, exiled, imprisoned and even executed. The United States never recognized the incorporation of the Baltic states into the Soviet Union.

I had a chance a few years ago to visit the states with a number of other Members, and we heard directly from the people, the government leaders about their level of appreciation to the United States for taking that position that they were never recognized as Baltic states under the Soviet Union.

This policy gave rise to the principle of legal continuity, which held that they remained de jure independent during the period of illegal occupation.

Furthermore, the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania never relinquished their hope for freedom and democracy. In August of 1989, the world watched as an estimated 2 million Balts--over one-quarter of the total population--formed a 370-mile human chain that spanned the three capitals in a peaceful act of solidarity and defiance of Soviet rule.

Just over 6 months later, in March of 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare independence. Estonia and Latvia followed suit within weeks. All three regained their full independence in late August 1991, which was recognized by the Soviet Union on September 6.

In the intervening 20 years, these states have made remarkable progress in reforming their political and economic systems. They have joined the family of European democracies, become members of NATO and the European Union. Indeed, all three Baltic states are valued participants in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and have worked to build stability and prosperity throughout eastern Europe.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution that celebrates an important anniversary of our Baltic allies. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the close relations that our nations have continued to enjoy.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, again, I think that when we think back to Eastern Europe from decades ago, the type of place it was under Soviet dominance and occupation, it is a different place today. Those of us who have a chance as Americans to travel to these three countries have seen tremendous change.

We know that the fight that they have, and the respect they have for the United States is strong because we held and stood with them during the time of the Soviet occupation. We appreciate their belief in freedom and democracy. We share that with them.

One little side note: When I was in Lithuania, a number of us were interested in encouraging Lithuania to continue to move forward quickly with Holocaust restitution, which has been languishing for quite some time, and we encourage them to move quickly before many of these survivors perish by natural causes.

But we are here today to celebrate. This is a very big milestone. And of course we ask Members of this body to support this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 267, congratulating the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 20th anniversary of their declarations on the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union.

It is hard to believe that two decades have passed since the world witnessed the tremendous events that took place in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. We saw countries in that region emerge from decades of communist brutality to bravely shake off the shackles of Soviet oppression. Those events forever changed the world.

Along with the memories of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the victory of the trade union Solidarity in the historic election in Poland, of course we recall the inspirational act by 2 million people living in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania who linked hands to form a human chain almost 400 miles long in a peaceful protest against Soviet rule.

After decades of oppressive Soviet occupation, the Baltic peoples remained committed to one day regaining independence and living in freedom. That dream, of course, became a reality in 1991 when the three Baltic nations gained full independence from the Soviet Union. But you know, in those final days leading up to independence, I will never forget being in Vilnius with Steny Hoyer and other members of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. We were there to stand in solidarity with President Landsbergis who was under an ever- present threat that the Black Berets, the Soviet storm troopers, were poised to take over the Parliament building and to take over the executive branch. They killed people at a TV tower. There was actually a gun turret there. There was a tank.

We went up and visited and to pay our respects to the people who had been slain just days before. I will never forget as the gun turret moved in the direction of our delegation, and especially Don Ritter, who was a member of that delegation, who had the audacity to get too close to the tank. That is how much of a hair trigger the Soviet troops had in Vilnius in February 1991.

Again, I want to thank Mr. Hoyer. He and I and others on that delegation--he was the head of that delegation. We were there like Freedom Riders, being there, physically present, to try to chill any attack on President Landsbergis' government.

But it was the people themselves in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the Baltic States, who took it upon themselves to stand up to the tyranny, and they prevailed, as did the others in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. So we rise to congratulate them and to pay our profound respect for their courage in bringing about democracy to those great nations. They are captive nations no more.

I yield back the balance of my time.