TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people gathered at a famous large outdoor singing arena on Saturday to celebrate Estonia's 20 years of independence from the Soviet Union, after nearly five decades of occupation.
In the late 1980s and early 90s, Estonians gathered en masse at the stage — on the outskirts of the capital, Tallinn — to protest Soviet rule by singing patriotic songs in a movement that became known as the Singing Revolution.
Saturday’s concert — "The Song of Freedom" — paid tribute to the small Baltic nation’s peaceful struggle to free itself from Soviet repression, rekindling the mood 20 years ago through contemporary pop and rock music.
Organizers said up to 70,000 people were expected at the arena to listen to Estonia’s top musicians and international stars, such as Irish singer Sinead O’Connor and Latvian band Brainstorm.
Baltic and Nordic foreign ministers also joined celebrations marking the Aug. 20 anniversary, the date when Estonia proclaimed independence in the wake of a failed Kremlin coup in 1991. Neighbor Lithuania had already declared independence, and Latvia followed suit one day after.
Midway through the concert, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared to the audience via a huge video screen, delivering congratulations from U.S. President Barack Obama to the government and people of Estonia.
"Today Estonia is a shining example for countries around the world yearning for democracy and economic opportunity," Clinton said in the message, adding that the United States will stand by the Baltic country "as an ally, a partner and a friend."
"Your successes give hope to those in the Middle East and North Africa looking to fulfill their own aspirations and realize their own potential," she said.
Dozens of countries, including the Soviet Union, recognized the independence of the three Baltic states soon after the failed Kremlin putsch Aug. 18-21.
"Estonia has scored more victories than defeats in the past 20 years. We have fared well as a nation," President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said in a speech earlier Saturday. "We’ve been able to maintain our language and culture. Estonia’s flag is flying in the front of the headquarters of the United Nations, European Union, NATO and several other important international organizations."
Estonia first won independence in 1918, a status that lasted until 1940 when Soviet forces occupied and incorporated it into the Soviet Union, a fate shared also by Latvia and Lithuania. During 1941-1944, the three Baltic countries were occupied by Nazi Germany.
Unlike its Baltic neighbors, Estonia escaped bloodshed in its freedom struggle during the early 1990s. The last Soviet troops left the country at the end of August 1994.
