September 13 and 14, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar, Speaker of the Latvian Saeima Daiga Mieriņa, and Lithuanian Deputy Speaker of the Seimas Žygimantas Pavilionis are being hosted on the island of Gotland by Speaker of the Riksdag of Sweden, Andreas Norlén.
On Friday, the leaders of the parliaments of the four countries will meet with Governor of Gotland County Anders Flanking and visit the Gotland Regiment that consists of around 400 soldiers. In the evening, Hussar, Mieriņa and Pavilionis will participate in the wreath laying ceremony in Slite and the memorial service at Visby Cathedral.
On Saturday, they will visit the Baltic Center for Writers and Translators that promotes literature and cultural exchange with the Baltic Sea countries. At the end of the visit, the leaders of the Baltic parliaments will meet with the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian communities in Gotland.
At the turning point of the Second World War, nearly 300,000 people escaped from the Baltic States. Many of the refugees headed for Sweden across the Baltic Sea and for many refugee ships Gotland was the first port of call. The escape reached its peak in the second half of September 1944.
The evacuation effort was a complex and remarkable feat in itself, requiring some ingenious improvisation and plenty of courage, though the biggest heroes have recieved only belated recognition.
It is an episode in Latvian history that continues to provoke discussion to the present day and even plays a role in contemporary debates about Latvian attitudes to refugees and asylum-seekers.
Latvian Television has a short documentary on the subject with English language subtitles, which you can watch below.
