'Recently efforts aimed at the depletion of the rights of national minorities in all the spheres of public life have been intensifying increasingly in Lithuania. It concerns first of all the education in ones' native language, land return, names' spelling, and the possibility to use ones' native language. Laws and regulations adopted by successive governments do not serve to the improvement of the situation of national minorities; in the contrary - they are oriented towards the action of a stronger one who is always in the right. The ruling governments are not convinced by any arguments stating that national minorities fight for their legitimate rights or, in principle, for normal public life. All orders are taken arbitrarily without taking into account the position of minorities. These are obvious examples of such actions:

- the adoption of the Law on Education without regard to national minorities' protest in the form of 60 thousand signatures addressed to the highest authorities of Lithuania;
- the unification of the matriculation examination of the Lithuanian language for the schools of national minorities and Lithuanian ones regardless the almost 840-hours difference in curriculum;

- the cancelation of the reliefs of the Lithuanian language matriculation examination under the regulation of the administrative court;
- the deletion of the examination of the Polish native language from the obligatory matriculation examinations' list;

- the diminished number of the native language teaching hours;

- the imposition of huge fines for bilingual (in Lithuanian and Polish) street name plates on private houses;

- the notorious delay in the adoption of the Law on National Minorities.

A Pole is commonly created as a disloyal citizen of Lithuania who interferes with the 'idyllic happiness' of the country. It seems, that if there were no minorities, especially Poles, all the spheres of life in Lithuania would be perfect. Nothing further from the truth. Only a state that is able to hear and solve the problems of its minorities can claim to be a democratic state which respects rights and obligations imposed not only by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, but also by international agreements that our country signed and ratified and thus obliged to comply.

In this situation we were greatly astonished and even anxious to hear the categorical statement of the President of Lithuania D. Grybauskaitė in the European Parliament as an answer to the speech of the Member of the European Parliament, Chairman of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania V. Tomaševski, in which the President accused Mr. Tomaševski of being disloyal to Lithuania and of even doing his private businesses.

Assurances regarding the lack of objections to Lithuania on the part of international organizations in matters of national minorities given by the President of the Republic of Lithuania in the European Parliament are wide of the truth. Remarks on the situation of national minorities in Lithuania pointing to the existing defects and the need for their removal are mentioned by number of international institutions. In particular, they can be noticed in the report of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek on the education of national minorities.

We, representatives of Polish social organizations in Lithuania, support the Member of the European Parliament, Chairman of the EAPL V. Tomaševski in his efforts to improve the situation of national minorities in Lithuania. We also support the protest of the 13th January 2014 of the deputies from the EAPL political group in the Seimas.

It is not an art to sweep problems under a rug. An art is the discovery of these problems, the willingness to open discussion and readiness to carry out the changes that are primarily needed for our country Lithuania. Namely the attitude of V. Tomaševski proves his huge concern for the fate of all the inhabitants of Lithuania. And it cannot be hidden by the general bashing and insulting Poles in the web space or by the articles in the media. The truth always wins. So in the name of truth we call to solve the problems of national minorities as soon as possible and, above all, to adopt urgently the Law on National Minorities which will be helpful in regulating most of the issues of the functioning of national minorities in Lithuania,' says the statement issued on 27th January 2014.

The representatives of 33 Polish social organizations in Lithuania have signed the text:

Association of Poles in Lithuania, Chairman Michal Mackevič
Association of Teachers of Polish Schools in Lithuania 'Macierz Szkolna', Chairman Juzef Kvetkovskij
Polish Cultural Centre of Stanisław Moniuszko in Lithuania, Chairwoman Apolionia Skakovska
Republican Association of Polish Writers, Chairman Aleksandr Sokolovski
Association of Engineers and Technicians in Vilnius, Chairman Jan Andžejevski
Youth Organization 'New Wave', Chairman Jaroslav Voitechovič
Forum of Parents of Polish Schools in Vilnius district, Chairman Jaroslavas Tamašunas
Catholic Association of Poles in Lithuania, Chairwoman Paulina Mielko
Union of Polish Lawyers in Lithuania, Chairman Gžegož Sakson
Patriotic Club 'Vilnius Wolf', Chairman Arnold Petrovič
The House of Polish Culture in Vilnius, Director Artur Liudkovski
Public Utility Company 'Kresy', Director Slavomir Subotovič
Polish theatre 'Studio', Director Lilija Keizik
Foundation of Polish Culture of J. Montwiłł in Lithuania, Director Henrik Sosnovski
Association of Polish Engineers and Technicians in Lithuania, Chairman Ježij Mozyro
Entrepreneurs Club on Vilnius Region, Chairman Marijan Voitkevič
Association of Polish Veterans in Lithuania, Vice- Chairman Edvard Klionovski
Polish Medical Association, Vice- Chairman Darijuš Žibort
Foundation Supporting Polish Education 'Samostanowienie', Chairman Stanislav Peško
Charitable Assistance Fund 'Faith, Hope, Solidarity', Director Edita Šiško
Forum of Parents of Polish Schools in Šalčininkai district, Chairwoman Renata Cytacka
Polish Scouting Association in Lithuania, Chairman Adam Blaškevič
Polish Club of Theatre Arts, Chairman Edvard Keizik
Creative Union of Polish Artists in Lithuania 'Elipsa', Chairman Vladislav Lavrinovič
Polish University of the Third Age in Vilnius, Director Rišardas Kuzma
Sports Club 'Polonia' in Vilnius, Chairman Stefan Kimso
Association of Social Initiatives, Vice-Chairman Vladislav Voinič
Polish Theatre in Vilnius, Director Irena Litvinovič
Polish Section of the Vilnius Community of Political Prisoners and Exiles, Chairwoman Janina Giečevska
Veterans Club of Armia Krajowa, Chairman Vaclav Pacyno
Vilnius Charitable Society, Chairwoman Julija Baniukevič
Strike Committees of Polish Schools in Lithuania, Coordinator Albert Narvoiš
Association of Polish Scientists in Lithuania, Vice-Chairwoman Barbara Dvilevič.