Authors of the draft opt for the novelization of the Art. 12 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, which does not allow for dual citizenship in Lithuania. They would like the inhabitants of Lithuania to support the note stating that 'the citizen of the Republic of Lithuania may be also a citizen of other state'. Very smart. Playing for high stakes. After all, according to the most pessimistic estimates, approximately 850 thousand of inhabitants (1/4 of the population of Lithuania) have left Lithuania since the declaration of independence. Some of them already have a citizenship of the country of residence, while others are applying for it, what leads to bidding farewell to Lithuanian citizenship. The novelization of the above mentioned article would enable those 'prodigal sons' to preserve their civic rights and vice-versa. The state would at least formally preserve part of the civic body spreading all around the world. And maybe it would be possible to regenerate this body a bit too?

In what way? An interesting mode was suggested by a young economist of 'Nordea Bank Lietuva' Žygimantas Mauricas a few days ago. He is by the way a repatriant, who has been living in seven countries during the period of 6 years and then returned to Lithuania with an open mind and subversive theories. During the conference 'Restart Vilnius', he told that there is a chance for Vilnius to transform into a real cultural, economic, and scientific European capital. There is only a condition that the city will get rid of historic phobias and will open towards the residents of the former Rzeczpospolita. More precisely towards Poles, Belorussians, and Ukrainians. As according to Mauricas, this is the quality of inhabitants that determines the power of the city, not the quantity. And this quality is noticed by the economist-idealist namely in the multiculturalism.

'Vilnius has a unique possibility to achieve this, as it has been a multicultural city for ages and has been attractive for people of other nationalities. (...) It is simply offered to us on a plate, but we do not use this potential' - this kind of 'heresies' were told by this globe-trotter to the participants of the conference, while the website DELFI has replicated it under the title ' Ž. Mauricas calls for luring Belorussians, Poles, and Ukrainians to Vilnius'. I would just add that when speaking about luring people to Vilnius, Mauricas has in mind talented and open-minded people first of all. I must admit, that I would be coming to such multicultural, opened and tolerant Vilnius even on foot from Nuremberg...

But I will wait for now, as the demons of the past are doing quite well in our country. Recently, they have been played up by the veterans affiliated in the Association of the Lithuanian Political Prisoners and Deportees. For the nourishment of the demons, the veterans have prepared a wrathful resolution stating, inter alia, that EAPL 'cares for the utopian idea to join Lithuania to Poland one day', in order to.... try to 'spoil the improving relations of Poland and Lithuania'. Amazing. Everyone would admit that such accession would be easier in a good relationship. Well, if only Poland invades us, what is not really likely to happen. It is exactly the opposite. The Polish Minister of National Defence Tomasz Siemoniak encourages our Juozas Olekas to 'the acceleration of works related to common security and defence policy'. Well, we are not going to defend each other from each other, are we?

Lucyna Schiller