Dear attendees,

Dear people of Estonia!

Today is a joyful day. We are once again celebrating Victory Day in our free and beautiful Estonia. It was 106 years ago, when our People's Force, full of determination to win, achieved a decisive victory in the Battle of Võnnu (Cesis). Let us remember this event also today: what once seemed impossible became possible back then. Tiny Estonia survived the War of Independence in the fight against much larger opponents. Today's Victory Day parade in Pärnu — the city where our Declaration of Independence was first read out in 1918 — is a symbolic place to celebrate this victory.

Every fight and victory require courage and sacrifice. We are here at Alevi Cemetery to commemorate and thank our heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of Estonia and whose last resting place is here or elsewhere in the cemeteries of Estonia. 

Estonia has risen from the ashes of war twice. We have achieved this not by the grace of anyone, but by our own determination and strength. We would know in our sleep what is the cost of freedom. This hard knowledge is reflected in every family's story and in our collective historical memory. But unfortunately, the world is still full of conflicts and wars. In a world saturated with screens, the constant awareness of increasingly gruesome horrors keeps us from forgetting the past. But all wars will come to end — sooner or later — even the ones that are ongoing today.

British military historian Michael Howard has written that "one of the most important rites for the emergence of a nation-state is that of a war that will test the willingness of nations to fight for their independence". Estonians successfully underwent this rite in the War of Independence, although the cost of the war was, understandably, an incredibly heavy burden for the society of the time.

We are now in the fourth year of standing with Ukraine, as it undergoes this harsh rite of passage. The war in Ukraine has been called the Ukrainian War of Independence. It is clear that Russia's aggression has truly united the Ukrainian people into a cohesive nation. A nation that will not surrender, no matter what the greats of the world think in their comfortable armchairs and gilded offices.

"If you want peace, prepare for war," says an old Roman proverb. By preparing for the worst crisis — namely, war — we are also ready for anything else. I confirm that we can confidently say that we are better prepared today than we were three years ago.

We have learned a lot from the war in Ukraine. Today, strengthening national defense is one of our main goals. Next year, Estonia's defense spending will reach at least 5 percent of our gross domestic product. We are acquiring new military capabilities and ammunition, expanding our forces and conducting large-scale exercises to make any attack on Estonia unthinkable. The recent 16,000-strong exercise Hedgehog proved that we can be proud of the Estonian Defense Forces and our allies.

Directing such vast resources toward defense is a major challenge for all of us. However, the spring opinion poll on national defense showed that almost half of the Estonian population supports increasing defense spending and nearly a quarter wants to maintain defense spending at the current level. These figures demonstrate the strong will of Estonians to defend their country and their support for national defense. This is a worthy legacy that I will take to the NATO summit in The Hague this week.

On this Victory Day, let us take a moment to rejoice in Estonia and in our people. With our strength and wisdom, we have created a free, democratic and very secure country. We have strong allies and many friends around the world. True to our Estonian nature, as we tend to worry, it is our daily concern to ensure that it will remain so in the future. Let us continue doing our work diligently, and I assure you — we are doing an excellent job!

In conclusion, I sincerely thank all those who today lend their support to ensuring the security and defense of the Estonian state — whether as professionals or volunteers, reservists or supporters. Together we are invincible.

I wish you all a happy Victory Day and a joyful Midsummer's Day!

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!