Ladies and gentlemen,
I am honoured to be receiving the Heroes of Democracy Award.
Thank you to the Renew Democracy Initiative for this recognition. It means a lot to me and also a lot to the Estonian people.
It is said that you do not know the value of freedom until it is taken from you.
I am of a lucky generation of Estonians because I know what it is like not to have freedom and then get it back.
When I was born, we were living in Soviet Russia’s prison – there was no freedom, no choices, nothing. When I was a teenager, we fought for our freedom and got it back.
That is why in Estonia, we never take freedom for granted. In fact, when we restored our independence in 1991, we decided: we would be Never Alone Again. Never without friends, never without allies.
We are now living in a historical moment where more people around the free world are waking up to the fact that freedom and democracy are not a given. That freedom is never free – you have to fight for it.
Brave Ukrainians are teaching us this every day.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine recently entered its third year.
Make no mistake: Russia wants to rewrite the global order in its own image. In Russia’s vision for security, it is acceptable to conquer and colonize another country. It’s a matter of global security not to let this vision succeed and help Ukraine win – otherwise, we will all wake up in a much more dangerous world.
Like Garry Kasparov has said – and I quote: “The fight against authoritarianism is like a game of chess: it’s black or white, but this is not like chess. There is no draw. You win or you lose.“
Russia has always counted on time working in its favour. It thinks we will get tired first. It thinks we will give in to fear or resignation.
But democracy has one big advantage that dictators don’t. We’re able to look in the mirror and be open about how we can make democracy better and stronger. How we can fight back better, how we can fight together.
This is our winning formula against autocracy. Truth is something dictators cannot stand. That is why they try so hard to make us believe that democracy makes us weak.
In the current historical moment, we need to believe in our values and find the spirit of victory more than ever.
This is also why organisations like the Renew Democracy Initiative are important – because they remind us why democracy also needs to be protected and cared for.
I dedicate this award to the power in each of us to defend freedom.
So, let’s not be afraid of our own power.
Thank you!
