"The Second World War has caused incalculable damage – millions of lives were lost, hundreds of cities and historical monuments were destroyed. It took many years to rebuild Europe. However, even today peace is not valued by all. Short-sighted and selfish interests still promote aggression which can only be curbed if we stand united in solidarity. Peace is not just our common value, it is our responsibility too," the President said.
The Lithuanian head of state underlined that the end of World War II had marked the beginning of a new period when Europe was divided and Lithuania occupied for half a century. But the desire for freedom has always been alive in the hearts of Lithuanian people. After fifty years of oppression, Lithuania returned to the map of Europe and within a short space of time managed to join the Western community – EU and NATO.
During bilateral talks with Polish President Bronisław Komorowski, European Council President Donald Tusk, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President Dalia Grybauskaitė discussed the current security situation in Europe.
World War II was the deadliest war in human history. This war and the 50-year occupation inflicted huge losses on Lithuania: around 250,000 Lithuanian residents were killed, including nearly 200,000 Jews. 100,000 people were imprisoned, sent to labor or concentrations camps.
After this war, almost 300,000 people were deported to Siberia. More than 30,000 people participated in the partisan resistance movement in soviet-occupied Lithuania, over half of them lost their lives.
