Speeches from President Alar Karis, Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) and August 20 Club President Ants Veetõusme marked the occasion.

The August 20 club is made up of those who declared the restoration of independence in the Riigikogu building on that date in 1991.

The sitting also heard greetings from Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir, on an official visit to Estonia, and from the Speakers of the Latvian Saeima and Lithuanian Seimas. President Karis thanked Iceland, one of the first countries to recognize Estonian independence, for its support in 1991.

"I thank Iceland for your courage in supporting Estonia on its path to restoring independence. Estonians will forever remember your determination in 1990 and 1991," Karis said.

President Karis, taking part in his last restoration of independence day events as head of state, also thanked the August 20 Club for their wisdom and for finding consensus at a pivotal moment.

The president highlighted that the decision to restore independence set a clear course for the future, with all political forces involved in drafting the new constitution.

"I think that self-confidence and responsibility are the two important keywords that gave substance and color to August 20, 1991. They have brought us to the present day, and they will carry us forward as well," Karis said.

Veetõusme recalled the events of 35 years ago, noting that the chamber has witnessed the development, loss and restoration of the Estonian state.

"That decision was not merely a political step, but also a moral and historical one, which said: Estonia has not disappeared. Estonia has not been silenced. Estonia is ours — and it is our duty to preserve it," Veetõusme said.

35 years ago nothing could be taken for granted, he noted. "There was uncertainty, fear and the unknown all around us. But there was also something even stronger: the people's belief that Estonia had to become free."

Veetõusme said August 20, 1991 was not a mere chance moment, but a historic turning point preceded by a long road — the 1979 Baltic Appeal, the so-called Phosphorite War, the 1989 Baltic Chain, the Night Song Festivals and the growth of the self-confidence of the Estonian people in throwing off the Soviet shackles.

Veetõusme also considered cooperation among the Baltic states to have been of crucial importance. "The Supreme Councils of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania cooperated during those years in a way that was extraordinary in its very nature. This cooperation was not formal, but substantive and strategic."

Thursdays celebrations began early in the morning with the ceremonial raising of the national flag, continued with the laying of commemorative bouquets at the August 20 Memorial Stone and the presentation of an anniversary stamp. The mixed choir HUIK! provided the musical atmosphere.

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