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In his words, the declaration signed by the three Baltic justice ministers on the occupation damages will not be just a formal document, especially since Latvia and Estonia, unlike Lithuania, have not calculated the damages caused to their countries.

"The importance of the declaration lies in the fact that it will raise the settlement of the problem to the international level and based on the international law, also it is a joint document signed by justice ministers of all three countries. If we do not do anything, the compensation and the assessment will never come. The damage caused to Lithuania is known by very few in Europe. The goal is to raise awareness in Europe and other countries to finally do this on the European Union level, as well," Bernatonis told BNS.

The declaration was signed by Latvian and Estonian ministers at a conference on occupation damages in Riga in early November. Lithuania's Bernatonis was not present at the event and later signed the declaration document by mail.

The president of the Lithuanian Constitutional Court, Dainius Zalimas, who attended the conference said the declaration was a tool of “political pressure,” saying Latvia and Estonia were interested Lithuania's practical experience of calculating the occupation damages.

The declaration stipulates the goal of the three countries to calculate the damages incurred due to the half-century Soviet rule that ended in early 1990s and international assessment of Soviet crimes.

In 2000, Lithuania adopted a law authorizing the country's government to hold negotiations with Russia on the occupation damages, which Lithuania calculated at over 23 billion euros. The decision, by which the government was authorized to demand compensation of the damages, was made by way of referendum and endorsed by law.