Juhan Parts, Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia

Esteemed Mrs. Olga Kistler, honorable President Meri, your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, former political prisoners of the Soviet regime, all persons who have suffered because of occupations.
With the possible exception of the generation that is currently coming of age, all of us have varying degrees of first hand knowledge of what an occupation is.
I would like to make three statements.
First: this is a museum of occupations, not of the occupation. Soviet, then Nazi, then Soviet again, which continued until 1991, when independence was restored. A new Constitution was adopted in 1992, constitutional institutions were established, and in 1994, the last Russian soldier departed.
My second point: this is the past, not the present. That's why the existence of such a museum is justified - a museum where we can see what once was, but shall never be repeated.
Point three: as Prime Minister, I turned my attention to the fate of the government that was in place before the occupation. This example of the brutality of the occupation towards the Republic of Estonia is so significant that I feel I should direct your attention to it.

Prime Minister Jüri Uluots went into hiding in rural Estonia and succeeded in keeping out of the reach of the NKVD. However - by the end of 1941, all of the other members of the government had been arrested and sent to Russia. With the exception, of Paul Kogerman, all of them had suffered torture and were dead by the end of 1942.

President Lennart Meri, patron of the Foundation:

Dear Mrs. Olga Kistler. My dear friend, yesterday we spoke German with you. Excellencies, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Mayor, Members of the Parliament of the Republic of Estonia, and all companions with whom we have been on this fateful journey together. I have already spoken here once, when we emplaced the cornerstone of this beautiful building, although there were fewer people present on that occasion. I also visited this site when the building first began to take shape. I thought about many other museums that I have had the occasion to visit, many of them two or four or ten or even fifty times larger, and tried to determine for myself what will be taking place between these walls. I am extremely happy to see all of you, for it is an indication of your interest in the future of this building. It also speaks of your political involvement. At the same time, I am very happy that this building is so transparent that one can see the Estonian birches outside. They are gently rustling, in the same way that they rustle in Siberia alongside unknown graves. Everything that needs to be said at the opening of this structure has already been said - convincingly said - by Tunne Kelam. A question that I ask myself – a question that I pose above all to you - is this a museum of occupation, is it a museum of terror like the one in Budapest, is this a museum of genocide like the one located in Washington, is it a museum of escapes like the Checkpoint Charley Museum, or is it a very specifically defined museum of recent history, like the ones in Riga and Vilnius? I am of the opinion that this is no museum at all, and that it has nothing to do with occupation and terror.
I believe that such a handsome building, into which an Estonian family invested all of its savings - for Mrs. Ritso didn't flee Estonia with a golden suitcase - she departed instead with the knowledge she had acquired at Tartu University, and which she continued to add to in the refugee camps of Germany. What I mean to say is that a house brought into existence thanks to such savings and at such a personal cost must serve the cause of freedom. This is our house of freedom, and it should remind us of one thing only - of the frail and fragile line that separates freedom and the opponents of freedom. We need to be painfully aware of how parliamentary democracy functions in the smallest country of Europe, of her political parties, her free press, and of how easy it is to step over that thin line and to loose everything in quick order. Call this building the Museum of Estonia
Freedom, it will help us aim towards the future. This museum also places a severe burden of responsibility upon us, for there is never enough freedom in the world. Our existence, our historical experiences, the quarter of the Estonian population that we mourn here, whom we lost - these things we lost because there was often too little freedom between the two World Wars. Even now, there isn't too much of it in our world, and as we enter the European Union and NATO, we would be making a serious mistake if we thought that Estonia has now taken her final shape. And the EU would be making a substantial mistake as it expands, if it were to assume that Europe is now complete. All of us who share common values in Europe, America and Canada would be making a big mistake if we labored under the impression that the world has assumed an ultimate state of completeness. The world will never be complete. It can only continue to improve, but only if we fathom that we are duty-bound to oppose all forms of extremism, regardless of the symbols borne by their adherents. We have to strive to preserve what has been given to us; we must have faith in ourselves and our desire for freedom. This building is no house of hatred, for it is our house of victory, our house of freedom. It makes us shoulder a heavy burden of responsibility, for it is our duty to protect our people and to defend Europe from the mistakes that have already exacted such a high cost. That have claimed so many victims. Turn your backs to hating, as well as to remembering that which was bad. Dear companions in fate - I wish to thank you, and thank Mrs. Olga and her husband, for having erected such a roof above our heads – a roof that places such demands upon us.

Tunne Kelam
Speech at the Opening of the Museum of the Occupations
Tallinn, Estonia
June 27, 2003

Honored guests, ladies and gentlemen!

On behalf of the Board of the Kistler-Ritso Estonian Foundation, I am honored to open the ceremony. I am happy to acknowledge the presence of the former President of Estonia, the Prime Minister, Ministers, the Mayor of Tallinn. I would like to thank all the citizens of the Republic of Estonia,
all of the guests as well as the diplomats who have honored us with their presence. But most of all I would like to express respect for those tens
of thousands of people whose sufferings have been recorded here. It is for them that this building was erected in order to memorialize the collective
tragedy experienced by the Estonian people.

In their history, the Estonian people have experienced miracles. The creation of our Republic of Estonia was a miracle. Likewise, the restoration
of our nation state after half a century of occupation was a miracle. Viewed through the eyes of a person who lived fifteen years ago, it is a
miracle that we just celebrated Victory Day and held an Estonian Defense League parade in the town of Jõhvi in northeastern Estonia. It is also a
miracle that within a year Estonia may be a full member of NATO and the European Union. But an even greater miracle is the fact that despite all
the sufferings and hardships, the Estonian people have survived. We have succeeded in preserving our self-awareness, our dignity, our culture and
language. The completed Museum is also a mark of our perseverance and persistence.

It is this very fact -- that we have achieved so much -- that makes it our duty to remember our past more than ever. It is true that both in their
personal lives and in society at large, Estonians have usually been able to rise above the tragedies in their past. This is expressed in our will to
survive, our belief in a better and more just tomorrow, as well as a deep cultural ethic. The Estonian people cannot thrive on retribution, hatred or
a permanent sense of injustice. But at the same time we see that pragmatic attempts to concentrate only on the present result in increasing uncertainty
in our people, deepen the sense of injustice and create internal divisions. We cannot and must not forget the past. Only full awareness of the
occupations of recent history gives us a guarantee that the crimes against humanity and peoples committed by power hungry totalitarians can and will
never again be committed.

That past is symbolized here in this Museum by the piles and rows of suitcases, by the two locomotives emblazoned with a red star and a swastika;
by the small open boat in which refugees fled from Hiiumaa Island to Sweden in September 1944. All these symbols indicate one thing – the cruelty and
thoroughness with which the occupation forces caused upheaval and confusion and destroyed normal and stable life in a small country. Practically
overnight, the people were put on trains or fled into boats. But all were torn away from their homes literally as well as figuratively. Because those
who were not murdered, arrested or deported to Siberia were nevertheless deported from their homes in spirit. The normal community of free citizens
with all its basic values, security and family-centered life was taken from them.
Just one year and 9 days ago, the Riigikogu voted to approve a statement concerning the crimes of occupation regimes committed in Estonia. The crimes
of the German National Socialist regime have been condemned authoritatively and universally, while the Soviet Communist regime’s equally reprehensible
crimes and the genocide carried out on Estonian territory and elsewhere have not been fully analyzed or judged. The Riigikogu declared the Soviet
Union’s communist regime which committed these crimes and the Soviet Union’s organizations which by force implemented that regime, such as the NKVD, the
KGB, and others and any tribunals, special meetings as well as death squads and peoples’ defense battalions and their activities to be criminal. The
Riigikogu statement emphasizes that responsibility for the crimes against humanity and the war crimes carried out in Estonia by the repressive organs
of the Soviet Union lies with the ruling Communist Party of the Soviet Union and its organization the Estonian Communist Party.

The message of the Museum we are opening today rests on this assessment. This is a contribution to the dignified introduction and preservation of our
people’s history, making it possible for us to free ourselves of the burden of the past and to go forward with greater self-assurance. The weight of
the occupations cannot be forgotten or ignored – it needs to be put into a defined place and to be studied systematically, objectively and from all
aspects.

In the name of the Kistler-Ritso Estonian Foundation, I have the honor and the pleasure to express gratitude and admiration to Walter Kistler and his
wife Olga Kistler-Ritso, who is one of those thousands of Estonians whom the Soviet occupation forced to flee their homeland. Perhaps it was fortunate
coincidence guided by unseen benevolent hands that half a dozen years ago Vello Karuks, an Estonian refugee living in Seattle, Washington, suggested
that the Kistlers meet with me in my office in the Riigikogu to discuss how they could help Estonia. Since my wife and I had just visited the Haus der
Geschichte, the museum of modern German history in Bonn, we were inspired to suggest a rather provocative idea, a kind of project of the century, the
construction of a similar museum in Estonia. We were thrilled and could hardly believe our ears when at the end of our meeting, Walter and Olga
Kistler were basically in agreement. Vello Karuks, who unfortunately passed away this spring, was instrumental in reinforcing this idea, fostering good
cooperation and helping to set clear goals and priorities.

The organizational work began. The Kistler-Ritso Fund was funded and headed by Olga Kistler-Ritso. The Board included Vello Karuks, Mark Romman and Sesh Velamoor. The Estonian Foundation in Tallinn was led, quite appropriately, by Heiki Ahonen, former freedom fighter and political
prisoner, one of the organizers of the famous 1987 Hirve Park demonstration and former director of Radio Free Europe’s Estonian broadcasts. Lagle
Parek, Toomas Kutsar and Arvo Pesti have worked hard as members of the Board of the Estonian Foundation.

The biggest problem was not money, but finding a suitable location. It took several years until thanks to the understanding reached by the Tallinn City
Government and the Defense League it was possible to agree on a location and to conform to all the requirements. The idea to renovate an old building
was soon rejected in favor of building a modern spacious and interactively designed museum that would serve as a research facility as well. History
Professor Enn Tarvel has been in charge of the academic side of the preparations. Research and study began before the Museum cornerstone was
even laid. Several hundred interviews with survivors and other key individuals have been videotaped; seven documentaries prepared; a large
collection of artifacts assembled; a groundbreaking book about the organizational structure of the Estonian Communist Party and four smaller
works have been published; exhibits and conferences have been organized. One goal is to integrate the Museum into the international network of
museums.

We are very pleased with the architectural design of the building. I would like to thank the Architects’ Union for conducting the competition. The
winners, Indrek Peil and Siiri Vallner, competed against most of the top architects in Estonia. The builder was AS FKSM. A special thank you goes
to the construction manager Tarmo Sikk, who was able to begin actual work only last November after the building permit was finally granted. Although
very symbolically much of the construction work took place during an especially cold and long winter reminiscent of Northern Siberia-Kolyma, it
is nevertheless of high quality.

In conclusion I would like to say that the true heroes of the Museum are the Estonian people – those who were killed, those who died, those who suffered
and those who survived. That is very important – to survive. In connection with the first film of survivor testimonies made four years ago, there is a
thought-provoking warning. Of the ten people shown in the film, over half have already died. This is but one more indication of how intensively we
have to use the time and the opportunities left to us today.
The 1987 Hirve Park demonstration that took place just a short distance from here posed the question about truth – historic truth. One conclusion about
Estonian political developments is that it was the truth about the past that set us free. We were able to restore freedom peacefully and in a civilized
manner. At the crucial juncture most political and community forces united to restore an independent nation state. I hope that the Museum being opened
today will become a place that preserves and values this same historical truth. I hope that it will become a place to find clarity and consolation.
And I hope that this will be a place where our younger generations as well as foreign visitors can gain an understanding of the difficult path of the
Estonian people, but also of their unique experience of preserving their spirit, language and culture – an experience that we can share with materially better off nations.