However, the conference clearly failed, only 8 countries (out of 28 who were supposed to participate) signed its declaration. If for the most modern Estonia a neutral attitude towards Nazism and an aggressive perception of communism is the norm, in other EU countries (with the exception of a number of “newcomers”), this position is clearly condemned. The very wording of the forum - “The legacy of the crimes of the communist regimes in Europe of the 21st century” - clearly did not correspond to the theme of the day of the memory of the victims of the regimes, as indicated in advance by the Estonian authorities.
The failure of the forum is also indicated by the absence of statements by Estonia on the number of participants. For example, the Minister of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights of Greece, Stavros Kontonis, categorically opposed attending the conference. According to him, such an initiative revives the climate of the Cold War, runs counter to EU values and equates communism with Nazism, which is unacceptable. In his opinion, historical facts and events defined the Soviet army as the liberator of Europe and Nazi concentration camps, as a savior from the horrors of the Holocaust.
The failure of the forum caused approval by the ruling party in Greece Coalition of radical left-wing SYRIZA.
The failure of the conference in Estonia is positive for Europe. Those who ultimately isolate themselves are his (forum) supporters.
- The official representative of SYRIZA Rania Swing said.
Insulation. The forum ended with the publication of a declaration signed by representatives of the following countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- explained the Secretary General for Transparency and Human Rights, Maria Yannakaki.
Estonian deputy Oudekki Loone in a letter to Kontonis expressed "gratitude and respect for the decision not to attend the disgusting congress."
According to her, attempts to indirectly justify the Nazi regime and Nazi ideology are present in the current political life of Estonia. Her decision to celebrate 9 in May as Allied Forces Victory Day in World War II caused the ire of many journalists and politicians.
It also caused a wave of support. So let me assure you that Estonia is not a Nazi country and that here, as elsewhere, the Nazis and sympathizers are a minority. The forum is a shame, but I am confident that the future will come when such events will no longer be organized. You just helped this future come a little earlier.
From the VO side, we note that the failure of the forum was caused primarily by the inadequate formulation of the conference topics. In Europe, both the socialist and the communist traditions are strong, according to which communism is not necessarily identified with the forms of political order observed in the USSR. The fierce anti-Soviet propaganda in Estonia consists in equating to the universal evil of the Soviet regime, and through it the whole of communism as a whole. This ideological treatment seems to have affected the minds of the Estonian politicians themselves, who did not see anything wrong in the formulation of the forum. Or, the abilities of the leaders of modern Estonia do not allow assessing the consequences of their actions in the European space.