"What Russia Can Learn From Germany"

In my country, Latvia, the German Nazis and their local collaborators committed the most appalling crimes ever known to humankind in that territory. It takes modesty and courage to regret the past. Openly acknowledging the controversial aspects is crucial to wipe out the ghosts of the past and move forth to a better and more humane future. Since its independence in 1991, our country has strived to document and reassess its 20th century history, even the darkest periods. We are successfully making this critical analysis as German did after World War II.
Contrary to what happened to the rest of Europe, the collapse of the repugnant Nazi empire did not set my country free. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia continued to suffer the brutal occupation by another foreign and totalitarian empire: the Soviet Union. For five long decades, these three nations vanished off the European map. They underwent mass slaughter and deportations, the loss of their freedom and the arrival of millions of Russian-speaking immigrants.
As President of Latvia, I accepted Putin’s invitation to travel to Moscow, though the final result of the Second World War had been that of the expected fall of the Nazi regime. I will express my respects for all those who died in that war, in the hope that Russia will pluck up courage one of these days to see eye to eye with its own history, that Russia will know how to find a way to distinguish its heroes from its tyrants; that once and for all, Russia will condemn the countless crimes against humanity committed in the name of communism. That way, Russia will prove its sincere respects for the liberty of the human rights. Such acknowledgement would strengthen the association between Europe, the United States and Russia. Latvia stands up for a better Europe, without war, without artificial boundaries, a united Europe that will respect the democratic and human principles.