“We will never forget the crime committed by the Soviet Union, the principals and perpetrators of which were tried to be hidden under the guise of cynical lies. 22 000 Polish officers and intellectuals were killed in the spring of 1940, which was a terrible tragedy for Poland devastated by World War II. We remember the Polish heroes who died in the catastrophe near Smolensk: dearly remembered President Lech Kaczyński, First Lady Maria Kaczyńska, and all the sons and daughters of the Polish State. We share the grief of Poland on their loss”, reads the Prime Minister’s letter.
According to Prime Minister Skvernelis, the merits of President Lech Kaczyński and his team in strengthening the fraternal relations between Lithuania and Poland will go down in the history of our nations. Lithuania is proud that a street sign named after President Lech Kaczyński was unveiled in the centre of Vilnius in 2018.
The Head of Government underlines that we are living in challenging times; hence it is highly important to preserve and strengthen Europe’s common historical memory. Lithuania greatly appreciates the contribution of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and President Andrzej Duda in organizing the joint state funeral ceremony for the leaders and participants of the 1863-1984 Uprising on 22 November 2019 in Vilnius. The ceremony has strengthened the unity of nations and has united and bound the people of Lithuania, Poland and Belarus to continue to pursue initiatives of proper historical memory.
Skvernelis stressed that on 7 April 2020, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted a resolution initiated by the Government expressing support to Lithuania’s strategic partner Poland, which the Russian Federation seeks to cynically accuse of contributing to the start of the Second World War.
The Prime Minister has noted that Lithuania condemns the historical revisionism and disinformation spread by the Russian Federation, which conceals the role of the Soviet Union as one of the main initiators of World War II in order to lay the blame on victims of aggression, justify the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 along with its secret protocols and deny its role in dooming Central and Eastern Europe for decades of occupation and oppression.
“This year marks the painful 80th anniversary of the occupation of Lithuania. We must not allow the crimes committed by the Soviet Union to be covered up. The common centennial history of Lithuania and Poland and painful tragedies of the twentieth century have taught us to cherish mutual solidarity and unity. I have no doubt that guided by these values, we will also overcome the threat of the unprecedented global pandemic”, said the Prime Minister in the letter.
