BALTIC WAY 2023 IN DER SCHWEIZ

Am Samstag 26. August 2023 fand in und um die französische Kirche in Bern im Gedenken an den ersten historischen Baltic Way vom 23. August 1989 der Baltic Way Schweiz  statt. Damals bildeten 2 Millionen Baltinnen und Balten eine Menschenkette von Tallinn über Riga nach Vilnius und standen für die Freiheit von der Sowjetunion ein.

Heute, wo wieder bedrohliche Wolken über dem Baltikum schweben, bedeutete dieser Anlass ein besonderes Solidaritätszeichen. Er dient aber auch dazu, in der Schweiz lebende Baltinnen und Balten aus allen drei Ländern zusammenzubringen. Es kamen 240 Personen, viele mit Angehörigen von baltischen Chören und Tänzern. Ein Einführungsfilm dokumentierte, wie der Balic Way 1989 ablief.

SPEECH FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS-BALTIC COMMITTEE, ALFRED HEINIMANN

Dear guests from near and far away corners of Europe, welcome! Sveiki! Laipni ludzam! Tere tulemast!

Let me introduce myself: I’m Alfred Heinimann, president of the Swiss-Baltic Committee, the organisers of this event. We are the only umbrella organisation in Switzerland working for and in all three Baltic states. This year we, The Swiss-Baltic Committee, celebrated its not only 20th or 30th, but its 75th anniversary in January.

We are a charity, helping people in need in all three Baltic states. This year, for instance, we supported the charity organisation Sandora in Klaipeda and Silute (Lithuania), the Kekava foundation distributing food and clothes, and a school in Kalna for their heating (both in Latvia), and the day center for children and adolescents at the Peeteli church in Tallinn (Estonia).

I welcome you all to this gathering, hoping the three expat communities from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will enjoy being together, meeting new people and forming new friendships. Perhaps many Latvians don’t know that there are also people from Estonia living here, or Lithuanians only know people of their kind, no other Balts. We would like to help Baltic people in Switzerland to get closer to each other.

Members of parliament and diplomats from all three Baltic states are present here, too, to share this unique atmosphere. Let’s have traditional music and dancing, the modest re-enactment of the human chain of 1989, this time in or around the church, weather permitting, and a relaxed and relaxing togetherness at the aperitif afterwands.

Long live the Swiss-Baltic friendship!