DW-WORLD: Bush Ruffles Russian Feathers
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posted by FerrasB on May, 2005 as Imperialism
07.05.2005 Bush Ruffles Russian Feathers Bush with Latvian President Vike-Freiberga in Riga Bush with Latvian President Vike-Freiberga in Riga The occupation by the Soviet Union of the Baltic states at the end of World War II was "one of the greatest wrongs in history," US President Bush said in a speech Saturday in the Latvian capital. "As we mark a victory of six decades ago, we are mindful of a paradox. For much of Germany, defeat led to freedom. For much of Eastern and Central Europe, victory brought the iron rule of another empire," Bush said in the 14th-century Small Guild building in Riga's Old Town. "V-E Day marked the end of fascism, but not the end of oppression. The agreement at Yalta followed in the unjust tradition of Munich and the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact," he said. The Yalta pact, which was signed by Soviet strongman Joseph Stalin, ... >> full
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Itar-Tass: US President Recognizes "Soviet Occupation" Of Baltic States
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posted by FerrasB on as Imperialism
US president recognizes "Soviet occupation" of Baltic states
07.05.2005, 17.23
RIGA, May 7 (Itar-Tass) - George Bush has recognized the fact of the " Soviet occupation": of the Baltic states, speaking in Riga on Saturday. The US president admitted the fact of the "occupation" at a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, Latvian President Vaira Vike Freiberga and Estonian President Arnold Ruutel.
Bush said that the end of World War II brought "occupation and communist repressions" to the Baltic States. Commenting on the coming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US president emphasized the importance of the lessons taught by the past.
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Washington Post: Mr. Putin's History
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posted by FerrasB on as Imperialism
Mr. Putin's History Saturday, May 7, 2005; Page A16 <NITF>IN 1989 THE rubber-stamp parliament of the dying Soviet Union finally renounced the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, by which Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin agreed to divide up central Europe in 1939. The secret treaty, the Soviet body conceded, was a "deviation from Leninist norms" -- though that did not, in its view, justify independence for the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which were invaded by Soviet troops in 1940 and still ruled from the Kremlin half a century later. Since then the Soviet Union has collapsed, and sovereign Baltic governments have joined NATO and the European Union; you might expect attitudes in Moscow to have evolved further.</NITF> <NITF>In fact, as Russian President Vladimir Putin made clear in the run-up to his vainglorious celebration of victory in World War II on Monday, the change has gone in the opposite direction. Mr. Putin recently defended ... >> full
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AP: Georgia Leader To Skip Moscow Celebration
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posted by FerrasB on as Imperialism
Georgia leader to skip Moscow celebration 5/6/2005, 7:18 p.m. ET By HENRY MEYER The Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Georgia's president will stay away from ceremonies in Moscow marking the 60th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat, officials said Friday, a move that further strains ties between the two former Soviet republics. language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ads.nj.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/www.nj.com/xml/story/ap/us/i/1103/@StoryAd"></SCRIPT> language=JavaScript></SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> </NOSCRIPT>President Mikhail Saakashvili refused to attend because talks failed to produce an agreement on the closure of Russia's military bases in his country, Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili said. Zurabishvili, speaking after talks in Moscow with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, said Saakashvili would also skip a Moscow meeting Sunday of leaders of 12 ex-Soviet states. "Nothing important can be achieved by this trip," Zurabishvili said. Dozens of world leaders, including President Bush, will mark the anniversary of the Allied victory over the Nazis and pay tribute to the Soviet Union's huge contribution. The dispute has added to the tension between ... >> full
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The Times: I Saw Polish War Heroes Hanged By Russians
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posted by FerrasB on as Imperialism
I saw Polish war heroes hanged by Russians “IT MAKES me angry — the memory loss sweeping across <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>,” Maciej Tuszkiewicz, <st1:metricconverter w:st="on" ProductID="86, a">86, a</st1:metricconverter> veteran of the partisan Polish Home Army, said. “For <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Poland</st1:place></st1:country-region>, it was not victory. The Nazis occupied <st1:country-region w:st="on">Poland</st1:country-region> for five years, the Soviets occupied <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Poland</st1:place></st1:country-region> for forty-five years.” <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> She added: “<st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region> invaded western <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Poland</st1:place></st1:country-region> in 1939. The <st1:country-region w:st="on">USSR</st1:country-region> invaded eastern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Poland</st1:place></st1:country-region> in 1939. Why did <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place> forget that? <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “When the Russians came to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Poland</st1:country-region></st1:place> towards the end of the war, they were telling us that they were liberators. But you know what they did? They hunted down Polish partisan leaders and put a bullet in the back of their heads. I saw my comrades hanging from trees. These were Polish war heroes who fought against Hitler in ... >> full
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