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A Message from President Bush to President Adamkus

May 4, 2005

Dear Mr. President:

I look forward to seeing you, together with President Vike-Freiberga and  President Ruutel, in Riga. Our meeting is an important opportunity to celebrate the freedom and security your nation now enjoys, and to renew our common commitment to advancing freedom, prosperity, and tolerance throughout Europe and the world.

I welcome the chance to discuss how democracies, by harnessing the vigor of their entire societies, can strengthen democracy at home and advance freedom beyond their borders. I am particularly grateful for your efforts to support civil society in your neighborhood, and for your contributions to demanding missions in support of freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq.

During this trip, I will mark the sacrifice of America and many other nations in defeating Nazism. In Western Europe, the end of World War II meant liberation. In Central and Eastern Europe, the war also marked the Soviet occupation and annexation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and the imposition of communism. Given this painful history, I understand the difficulty of your decision on whether to attend the May 9 commemoration in Moscow, and I respect the choices you and each of the other Baltic leaders have made.

Even as we acknowledge the past, this anniversary is an opportunity to look forward and build a future based on our shared values and our shared responsibilities as free nations. As allies and friends, our countries can work with confidence to strengthen democracy at home and advance freedom abroad. America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with you.

 

Sincerely,

George W. Bush