Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs and Head of the Seimas Delegation to the Assembly of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland, opened the commemoration and recalled that this year marks the 25th anniversary of Lithuania’s international recognition, as well as the establishment and resumption of diplomatic relations with foreign countries. Mr Kirkilas noted that Lithuania’s relations with Poland were of great importance for Lithuania not only in the context of the past 25 years but also in the framework of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations. In relation to the Constitution of 1791, the Deputy Speaker emphasised the endeavours of Polish and Lithuanian politicians and historians to promote this significant historical heritage and reveal the importance and meaning of the Constitution in the present day context.
Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, made a video address from Brussels welcoming the participants of the commemoration. He stressed that the Commonwealth and its Constitution were the prime examples of early European integration between nations. As Mr Schulz said, it is a model promoted by the European Union today. “They are a vivid reminder at the moment in which our solidarity is tested by multiple crises within and outside of our borders that we have to affirm and to defend our core values and principles set in stone in our treaties in order to maintain the cohesion and solidarity of our Union.”
Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, appreciated the beautiful tradition to jointly mark, both in Lithuania and Poland, the anniversary of the Constitution of 3 May and also noted that although the Constitution of 1791 was effective for only 14 months and its advocates were defeated and the defeat turned into the defeat of the entire Commonwealth, the Constitution was not a mere attempt to reform the country plunging deeper into anarchy. “It contained guidelines on social and public reform which became a guiding light for the next generations, since all Lithuanian and Polish uprisings against Russia in the 19th century were inspired by the ideas of the Constitution of 3 May. The Constitution opened up a new prospect for the development of the Lithuanian and Polish states, which was fostered for over a century and which brought our nations to the achievements of 16 February and 11 November 1918,” Mrs Graužinienė said.
In addition, the Speaker of the Seimas observed that the authors of the Constitution had left us an excellent example of an ability to reach a compromise. “The adoption of the Constitution shows that even though Lithuania’s rights were not ensured within the Constitution, the majority of Lithuanian representatives tried to reach a compromise, i.e. it was more important to adopt the Constitution and postpone the settlement of mutual disagreements and thereby strengthen the state rather than continue the disputes. The adoption of the Mutual Pledge of the Two Nations on 20 November 1791 demonstrated that the Polish nation understood the needs of Lithuanians. Concluding her address, the Speaker said: “May this ability of our ancestors to reach an agreement be always present in mutual relations between our nations and our states, as well as in our joint endeavours!”
Maria Koc, Deputy Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, also emphasised the efforts of the authors of the Constitution of 1791 to find the best solutions in reaching a compromise. “It demonstrated the wisdom and responsibility of a part of our nation and elite, who gave priority to a free, sovereign, strong, and modern Commonwealth. (…) The main version of the Constitution of 3 May turned the Commonwealth into an integral state, whereas the Mutual Pledge of the Two Nations, adopted four months later and establishing detailed guidelines for the implementation of the basic law, restored the dualism of Lithuania and Poland with due recognition of the supremacy of the principles of the union of two nations.”
Emanuelis Zingeris, Deputy Chair of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs, member of the Group for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with the Republic of Poland, who initiated the amendment of the law on commemorative days in Lithuania by supplementing the list of commemorative days with the Day of the Constitution of 3 May 1971 and later with 20 October or the Day of the Mutual Pledge of the Two Nations, discussed the importance of the Constitution of 3 May in the context of international developments today. Mr Zingeris observed that the Constitution of 3 May and the Mutual Pledge of the Two Nations of 20 October was the creation of the two nations – Lithuania and Poland – 225 years ago giving each of the two entities an equal share in state government. It was a powerful tool that withstood the tests of the 19th and 20th centuries and that reminds us of possible solutions in the face of the current crisis in Europe.
