The resolution authored by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Linas Linkevičius, calls on public and municipal authorities, non-governmental organisations, residents of Lithuania, and Lithuanian communities abroad to mark 2017 as the Year of Tadeusz Kościuszko and to actualise the heritage of values of this outstanding historic personality.
Minister Linkevičius believes that, in the current geopolitical situation, it is worthwhile recalling the words by the President of the United States of America and the main author of the United States Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, about Tadeusz Kościuszko,”He is as pure a son of liberty as I have ever known.”
“Tadeusz Kościuszko’s life is another proof that freedom cannot be taken for granted, it must be fought for, it must have sense,” the Foreign Minister says.
The resolution notes that Tadeusz Kościuszko’s historic heritage and the values he cherished – fight for Freedom and Independence – are universal, unite Lithuanian, Polish and United States societies, and strengthen ties within the transatlantic community.
The head of the Lithuanian foreign office says that Tadeusz Kościuszko’s historic heritage has a symbolic meaning and is particularly relevant in the geopolitical environment of today when hostile forces seek to forcefully enslave free self-determination of states and their territorial integrity and shatter the unity of the transatlantic community.
The 200th death anniversary of Tadeusz Kościuszko is included into the list of anniversaries to be celebrated in 2016–2017 in association with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
