Baltic parliament leaders attend events of 80th anniversary of Great Escape in Gotland

TALLINN - The speaker of the Riigikogu, Lauri Hussar, is on a joint visit of the leaders of the parliaments of the Baltic states to Gotland on Friday and Saturday to participate in events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Escape.

Latvia is represented by the speaker of the Saeima, Daiga Mieriņa, and Lithuania by deputy speaker of the Seimas Žygimantas Pavilionis. The leaders of the Baltic parliaments are hosted in Gotland by the speaker of the parliament of Sweden, Andreas Norlén, spokespeople for the Estonian parliament said.

On Friday, the leaders of the parliaments of the four countries will meet with the governor of Gotland County, Anders Flanking, and visit the Gotland Regiment that consists of around 400 soldiers. In the evening, Hussar, Mieriņa and Pavilionis will participate in a wreath laying ceremony in Slite and a memorial service at Visby Cathedral.

On Saturday, they will visit the Baltic Center for Writers and Translators that promotes literature and cultural exchange with the Baltic Sea countries. At the end of the visit, the leaders of the Baltic parliaments will meet with members of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian communities in Gotland.

At the turning point of World War II, between 75,000 and 80,000 people from Estonia fled to the West to escape the invading Red Army. Altogether, nearly 300,000 people escaped from the Baltic states. Many of the refugees headed for Sweden, either via Finland or directly, and for many refugee ships Gotland was the first port of call. The escape reached its peak in the second half of September 1944.