Subject: Foreign Policy
Part IV: Lithuania
The contents of the review:
Lithuanian support of the Belarus opposition
Vilnius welcomes the President of Ukraine
Activization of the Lithuanian diplomacy on the Caucasus
Lithuanian Support of the Belarus Opposition
On May, 16, appearing before the Third EuroCouncil Summit in Warsaw, the President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus declared, that today's Belarus represents " grey stain on the map of democratic Europe". At the same time, he said, the people of Belarus share the European values and undertake attempts to make their society more free and democratic. For this reason they must be assisted, primarily by supporting the Belarus opposition. In this connection Adamkus noted, that his country is already helping to promote democratic processes in Belarus by transferring its experience on construction of the democratic society. In 2006 the Lithuanian leadership plans to hold in Vilnius the Forum of "Developing Democracies". Representatives of the Baltic states and the countries of the Black Sea area will be invited to participate in the forum, President Adamkus said.
Meanwhile, presentation of the book "Lukashenko. The political biography" written by Belarus journalist and political scientist Alexander Fedut has taken place in May in the capital of Lithuania. Attending representatives of the Belarus opposition, named President Lukashenko "a disease of Belarus which must be cured".
In this connection it is necessary to note, that activization of the Lithuanian foreign policy on Belarus direction occurs on the background of the growing interest of the West to the situation in this country. Washington based The International League for Human Rights invited to the US capital in the second half of May the delegation of representatives of the Belarus opposition. Its members have been welcomed in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, in the State Department and in the National Security Council of the USA. Simultaneously the agenda of the Committee on legal questions and human rights session, which took place on May 24 at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), was devoted to the issue of forcible abductions and disappearances in Belarus. PACE speaker Christos Pourgourides, the author of the report "Political disappearances in Belarus", initiated the session. Adrian Severin Member of the Chamber of Deputies (PSD), Honorary President of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the UN specialist on Belarus also took part in the session. All the participants supported the necessity find the mechanisms of influence on the situation in Belarus.
This very day, on May, 24, it became known about the new diplomatic scandal, which burst between Minsk and Warsaw. The Ministry of Justice of Belarus has recognized the VI congress of the "Union of Poles of Belarus " (SPB) as "illegitimate". Poland reacted by declaring of two employees of the Belarus embassy as persons non grata. Belarus answered with deportation of an employee of the Polish embassy in Minsk.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland retaliated by preparing the list of the Belarus citizens, who are forbidden from visiting the country.
Chairman of the Polish Sejm commission on relations with the Polish communities abroad Roman Giertych visited Belarus to meet with the leaders of SPB. After returning to Warsaw, Giertych declared, that on June, 2 Polish Sejm will discuss the resolution containing strong requirement to the Belarus authorities on "unconditional recognition" of the new leadership of the "Union of Poles in Belarus".
Vilnius Welcomed the President of Ukraine
On May, 16, on his way to the Third EuroCouncil Summit in Warsaw (EuroCouncil Summit), the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko made a stop at the capital of Lithuania Vilnius. During his meeting with Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus, the high-ranking Ukrainian guest thanked the Lithuanian leadership for active participation in the settlement of the political crisis in Ukraine during the presidential elections of 2004. Yushchenko said that his country was on the verge of the civil war, and active intermediary activity of Adamkus' and his Polish colleagues Alexander Kwa?niewski helped to avoid bloodshed. Yushchenko also did not overlook the constant support rendered by Vilnius to Kiev on the international scene, primarily, on the question of Ukraine's introduction into the EU and NATO. Both leaders have discussed the further joint actions directed on overcoming of minor conflicts and expansion of democratisation process in the region. First of all, it concerns the settlement of the long-term clash between Moldova and autonomous republic of Pridnestrovie (Transdniestria). It is necessary to note, that this meeting passed on a background of promptly extending political, economic and other relations between Ukraine and Lithuania. In April President Yushchenko welcomed Foreign Minister in Kiev for Affairs of Lithuania Antanas Valionis who came on an official visit to Kiev. The main discussion topic at the negotiations was the official Vilnius` support of Kiev`s aspiration to be integrated into the structure of the European Union. On May, 18-19 the meeting of Ministers of Transport of Ukraine, Lithuania, Moldova and Belarus took place in Kiev, during which the questions of integration of ale the local transport infrastructures of the region were studied.
For the Lithuanian participants of this meeting its value is, above all, in the development of the economic axis connecting the Baltic and the Black Sea, and also in strengthening of economic and political influence of Vilnius in the region.
The last, but not the least event, which should be mentioned in this context was the meeting between the Ukrainian first deputy Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Algimantas Rimkunas, which took place on May, 20 in Kiev. The parties discussed results of President Yushchenko's visit to Lithuania. Besides, Rimkunas notified Ohryzko about the basic aspects of diplomatic activity of Lithuania and expansion of the network of its diplomatic representatives abroad. He also expressed readiness to share with the Ukrainian colleagues the experience gained in this area.
Activization of the Lithuanian Diplomacy on the Caucasus
On May, 16, at the lobby of the EuroCouncil Summit in Warsaw, the meeting of Lithuanian president Adamkus with his Azerbaijan colleague Ilham Aliev took place. The main topics of the meeting became the strengthening of bilateral relations between Vilnius and Baku, and also the development of political and economic cooperation between the Baltic and Caucasian regions. In this context, the parties have noted the importance of the rapprochement process between Azerbaijan, the European Union and NATO. According to resident Aliev, his country has already joined the program of EU "New Neighborhood". The dialogue between Baku and the leadership of NATO on possible forms of cooperation also continues. In conclusion of the meeting, leaders of Lithuania and Azerbaijan have exchanged invitations to visit their countries.
Related items:
Part One: Behind the scenes of the Baltic Economic Forum: The true reason of the Russian boycott
Part Two: Foreign Policy - Mutual Relations with Russia
Part Three: Reaction of Russia to the policy of the Baltic states
Estonian Leadership Searches for Allies in Conflict with Russia
Intelligence Activity of the Russian Secret Services in Baltic Countries
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