"Unfortunately and regrettably, we must assume responsibility for the fact that during 25 years of its independence Lithuania did not manage to find a place to build a monument to its heroes. The president's opinion is very clear: it is a point of our honour to build monuments to Basanavicius and Smetona by 2018, when we mark the centenary of the state's restoration," said Virginija Budiene, the chief presidential advisor on the interior policy, said on the radio Ziniu Radijas on Tuesday morning.
The presidential advisor reminds that both monuments are listed in the programme of preparation to the centenary of the state's restoration.
Apart from memorialization of these two figures, Lithuania has more on the programme: to build a Heroes' Square, to build a Nation's House on the Pamenkalnis Hill in Vilnius, to renovate the Lukiskes Square in Vilnius.
