20th anniversary of the restoration of independence

On August 20 the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia passed the decision on the independence of Estonia. The decision restored the independence of the Republic of Estonia declared in 1918, which had been defended in the War of Independence in 1918-1920 and had been lost when the Soviet Union first occupied and then unlawfully incorporated Estonia. In the period of four years prior to the restoration of independence the Estonians' aspiration for liberty had been seeking for an outlet more and more vigorously; its immediate incentive, however, was a coup attempt on the previous day in the Soviet Union. The first foreign country to recognize the independence of Estonia was Iceland on August 22, followed by recognition by Lithuania, Latvia, Russia (on August 24) and other countries.