JBANC Commemorates 86th Anniversary of Welles Declaration

Washington D.C. (JBANC) Today marks the 86th anniversary of the Welles Declaration. The statement, issued by Acting U.S. Secretary of State Sumner Welles, established the longstanding U.S. policy of non-recognition of the Soviet occupation and illegal annexation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The anniversary is a time to reflect on the resilience of the Baltic peoples, the value of principled U.S. leadership, and the enduring freedom we share.

Yesterday, JBANC commemorated the anniversary by visiting the graves of the Declaration’s authors, Sumner Welles and Loy Henderson, at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C., alongside representatives from the U.S. Department of State and the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian Embassies.

The commemoration featured remarks from Deputy Assistant Secretary Kevin Covert; H.E. Kristjan Prikk, Ambassador of Estonia to the United States; H.E. Gediminas Varvuolis, Ambassador of Lithuania to the United States; Jānis Beķeris, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Latvia to the United States; and Emanuelis Zingeris, Member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

Managing Director of JBANC Lee Allen gave opening remarks while JBANC Research & Policy Liaison Kamryn Herrick read the declaration. Maia Linask representing the Estonian American National Council gave remarks honoring outgoing Ambassador of Estonia to the U.S. Kristjan Prikk.