20 Years On: Retrospectives on Re-Independence
This year marks 20 years since Baltic re-independence, and with several months to go before the August 20 anniversary, media are already taking a look back at the heady times through the eyes of some of Estonia's southern neighbors, not all of whom have reformed alike.
"Some expectations, perhaps, were naive," said Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius in an interview to ETV. "I remember well how we were calculating quite seriously that, in three years time after we got independence, we shall achieve Sweden's level of economic and social development."
But, said Kubilius, "In any case, to achieve what we achieved during those 20 years - to have the membership of the European Union and NATO, to have a well-functioning market economy - that is some kind of miracle."
In looking at countries that have not fared as well since independence, ETV posed the question of whether the Baltics would be back in Russia's fold had they not joined European and transatlantic institutions. "I would not say we would be back inside of Russia, but it's obvious that we got a very strong basis for our development in the Baltic states when in the mid-1990s we got a clear message from the EU and NATO that we will be accepted," said Kubilius. "This is the lucky difference for us compared to, for example, such countries as Moldova, which suffered very much [...] after their declaration of independence."
The former deputy prime minister of Ukraine, Hryhoriy Nemyria, said that solidarity both in the Baltics and the Visegrad countries was a strong engine 20 years ago, but since it did not exist between Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, and the South Caucasus countries, they missed out on the democracy train.
"A very important indication of transition coming to an end is reforms deep inside the country and self-sustainable momentum for change," said Nemyria. "It will be difficult for Ukraine to achieve this because from the very beginning we lacked an external anchor that the Baltic countries received not immediately but at least in the second half of the 1990s. Namely the EU anchor [...] instruments and policies [...] We don't have this anchor so far. Therefore, our transition is still going forward. It will take more time, but the sense of direction is there."
Kristopher Rikken