YouSaid · the spoken record

Egils Levits

lines on the record: 52
first: 2019-09-24
most recent: 2022-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Our independence was regained through strong mass movements whose demands were rooted in international law, and was the result of a non-violent freedom fight, a rare occurrence in history. At the same time, it was a triumph for international law. It proves that even seemingly hopeless situations can be overcome by belief in the law and strong civil societies. Sooner or later, justice will always prevail. In the 25 years that followed, I had the privilege of serving as a judge in two international or supranational courts — first the European Court of Human Rights, then the Court of Justice of the European Union. That explains why justice and the rule of law at the national and international levels is so important for the Latvian State, the Latvian nation and for me personally.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I am greatly honoured to address the General Assembly for the first time. I would like to congratulate the President on his assumption of the presidency of the Assembly at its seventy-fourth session. I assure him that Latvia will provide active and constructive support to our joint efforts during this session. Thirty years ago, as a young politician and lawyer, I had the opportunity to fight for the restoration of my country’s independence. Latvia, like Estonia and Lithuania, was occupied by the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Second World War. Unlike in western Europe, where the war ended in 1945, the Baltic States regained their independence only in 1991. We will be forever grateful to the States that never recognized the occupation of our countries as legitimate.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)