Carl Bildt, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden writes in an op-ed that this year marks 20 years since Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were able to regain their independence.  The article was posted in Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania), Postimees (Estonia), Diena (Latvia) on 12 January 2011.

In November 2009, the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the infamous Berlin Wall was commemorated with celebrations and fireworks.

But if 1989 was the year when the external Soviet empire fell apart, 1991 was the year when the Soviet Union itself broke down beneath the weight of its own internal differences. This year it is 20 years since Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were able to regain their independence, with all that that entailed, not least for our own country.

History has no other example to show of an empire falling to pieces with so little bloodshed and so few open conflicts as was the case when the Soviet Union split up and dissolved.

But that it was far from obvious that this would be the case we are reminded, not least, today – 20 years after fourteen people lost their lives, crushed by Soviet tanks at the television tower in Vilnius.

It was then that dark forces in Moscow attempted by violent means to roll back the aspiration of the three Baltic States for independence. It was in Vilnius and Riga that this led to open violence and bloodshed. But it is quite obvious the plan was to enforce a Soviet restoration in Tallinn as well, using violence and political manipulation.

Prior to this, the differences in Moscow had escalated. In December Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduard Shevardnadze had resigned, warning of a new dictatorship. The ‘power ministries’ were exercising growing control over the ever weaker and increasingly vacillating Gorbachev.

But even if it was they who were in direct control of the attempts to carry out violent coups in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, it was obvious that Gorbachev too was now trying to turn back the clock.

Special KGB units were flown in. The Airborne Assault Division in Pskov was deployed. The Soviet Supreme Military Command was on the spot to lead operations. Threatening demands blared from the Kremlin. So-called ‘Committees of National Salvation’ suddenly sprang up.

The pattern could not have been clearer.

But it failed – and the way opened up for the independence that would be fully realised just eight months later.

“The events of January 1991 were the greatest moment in the Baltic struggle for liberation. It was a long-drawn-out crisis whose outcome was uncertain, in which the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania showed courage, determination and perseverance – in short, dignity.”

This is how Lars Fredén – Sweden’s man at the heart of the drama – sums up the historic month in his book. And of course he is absolutely right that it was the people and leaders of the three countries themselves who were the true heroes in the historic drama that was played out that month. They barricaded their parliaments in defence of the unwavering will of their peoples to win their freedom and resist oppression.

But other factors were important too.

The liberation of the three States would never have succeeded without the firm support of Russia’s ardent democrats. Immediately after the events in Vilnius, the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Republic, Boris Yeltsin, sharply condemned what had happened and entered into a cooperation agreement with the leaders of the three countries.

And in Moscow, thousands of people gathered on the streets to protest. They knew that if reactionary forces were to succeed in Vilnius, they might succeed in Moscow too. Russia’s budding democracy was as much at risk as the independence of the Baltic peoples.

For Swedish foreign policy, these years were the most demanding for several decades. But the sense of solidarity with the Baltic peoples’ aspirations for freedom was strong. The 79 ‘Monday meetings’ in central Stockholm wrote history in their own way.

The day after the violence in Vilnius, some 7 000 people gathered in a fiery protest at Norrmalmstorg. The Minister for Foreign Affairs at the time, Sten Andersson, was also there that day and I was once again one of the speakers. Estonian statesman Lennart Meri was among those with us.

And at the end of the meeting, all the church bells of Stockholm rang out to lend extra force to our words. This had never occurred in such a connection since the declaration of peace in 1945. These meetings became the true focus of the strong Swedish solidarity movement during this dramatic period.

And the strength of the voices from Norrmalmstorg was doubtless a significant factor in mobilising those elements of Western opinion that were otherwise most concerned about stability in Moscow.

There is little point speculating what might have happened had the forces of darkness succeeded in their offensive in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn in January 1991. The Soviet Union was probably doomed anyway, but in all likelihood, its collapse would have been considerably more protracted, a great deal bloodier and would perhaps even have involved more warfare than turned out to be the case.

The significance of January 1991 in the broader perspective too can hardly be overestimated.

But even if the offensive of the forces of darkness failed that month, the drama was not over. In August it would move on to Moscow itself, with dramatic consequences for the entire disintegrating Soviet construct – though that is a matter we will have occasion to return to.

Events in the two decades that have passed since then have given us a new and better Europe. The fact that the three Baltic States are now members of both the European Union and NATO is important not only for them but also for us. In many vital respects, our security is linked to their security, and we also have a strong national interest in their economic, social and political success.

After years of spectacular economic growth, all three countries were severely affected by the international financial crisis – indeed, no other European country was as hard hit as Latvia.

For us it was a matter of course to give Latvia’s heroic endeavours to escape the crisis in particular our clear support, politically and financially. And even though much remains to be done, the trend has now clearly turned for the better.

This year, it is indeed important for us to look back and remember the drama, uncertainty and heroism two decades ago. But it is at least as important for us now, after the economic crisis, to look ahead and discuss what else we can do to strengthen our economic cooperation in particular.

Today, Ericsson has more than twice as much manufacturing in Estonia as in Sweden, and since the dawn of the New Year the country has joined Finland and others as part of the euro area. But the long-term opportunities in Lithuania and Latvia are no less great.

Twenty years after the events at the television tower in Vilnius, we have every reason to remember with gratitude those who were prepared to risk everything for the liberty of posterity. And, moreover, to take the opportunity to reflect on what more we can do to strengthen the ties across the Baltic Sea that are so important to us all.

Twenty years on, we know that the sacrifices were not in vain.