Bush:
Good morning. On Sunday and Monday, I will attend ceremonies in The
Netherlands and Russia, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of V-E Day.
These events will celebrate a great triumph of good over evil. We will
never forget the acts of courage that made possible the liberation of a
continent, or the heroes who fought in the cause of freedom. And we honor
the brave Americans and allied troops who humbled tyrants, defended the
innocent, and liberated the oppressed. By their courage and sacrifice,
they showed the world that there is no power like the power of freedom --
and no soldier as strong as a soldier who fights for that freedom.
The defeat of Nazi Germany brought an end to the armed conflict in
Europe. Unfortunately, for millions of people on that continent, tyranny
remained -- in a different uniform. In Latvia, where I'm also visiting on
this trip, free people were taken captive by another totalitarian empire.
Germany was split into free and un-free halves. And countries like Poland,
Czechoslovakia and Hungary were cut off from liberty by an Iron Curtain.
The people of these countries survived the Cold War through great courage,
and then they took history into their own hands and reclaimed their
freedom.
The result is the continent of Europe, wounded by decades of conflict
and oppression, is today whole, free and at peace for the first time in
its history. The wave of democracy that swept Central and Eastern Europe
in 1989 has now swept to nations like Georgia and Ukraine. And the victory
for freedom represented by V-E Day has become a reality for millions of
people.
On my trip, I will visit Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, to applaud
the people there for the Rose Revolution that advanced democracy in their
land. Georgia has survived oppression, fought for liberty and taken its
place among free nations. America is proud to call Georgia our partner in
freedom, and we will help the people of that country enhance prosperity,
improve security and spread liberty at home and abroad.
The new democracies of Europe still have much work to do. Free
elections are a significant achievement, yet they are only part of a fully
functioning democracy. Democratic governments must be committed to
providing full and equal rights for minorities, resolving conflicts
peacefully, encouraging a vibrant political opposition, and ensuring the
rule of law. As the nations of Central and Eastern Europe work to build up
the institutions necessary for a free society, America will stand by their
side.
Today, these nations are standing with us as we defend liberty abroad.
Freedom has no better friends than those with a fresh memory of tyranny.
That is why countries like Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Georgia have
been partners in our coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan. We're grateful for
their contributions, and especially for the example they are setting for
other aspiring democracies.
America and these new democracies are bound together by history, by the
universal rights we have defended together, and by our deepest
convictions. All of us understand that the advance of freedom is the
concentrated work of generations -- from the brave Americans who fought
against Nazi Germany sixty years ago to those who struggle for liberty
today. And by working together, we will ensure that the promise of liberty
and democracy won on V-E Day will one day reach every person and every
nation in the 21st century.
Thank you for listening. |