Polish-Lithuanian border does not divide but connects us - Senate Speaker
The Polish-Lithuanian border does not divide us but connects us, Polish Senate (upper house) Speaker Stanislaw Karczewski said on Friday after meeting the speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, Viktoras Pranckietis, in Vilnius.
The Senate speaker noted that "this is a further visit that brings us closer: Poland and Lithuania, Poles and Lithuanians." He announced that his talks with the Lithuanian parliamentary speaker had concerned security, infrastructure programmes, and the necessity of restarting the Polish-Lithuanian parliamentary assembly, which ceased to function nine years ago. "High time, during these intensifying mutual relations, to start the work of the assembly," Karczewski announced. The Senate speaker told journalists that talks had also touched on the situation of Poles in Lithuania and Lithuanians in Poland.
"We always discuss these topics and I am convinced that thanks to the fact that our relations are better all the time, that our relations are getting warmer, that we will also solve the problems of Poles in Lithuania," Karczewski said.
Speaking to journalists, Panckietis expressed hope that during the current session of parliament a law would be adopted on the spellings of Polish names, as well as one on national minorities, for which Polish Lithuanians have strived for years. "I must admit that we have opponents on these issues," Panckietis said.
Stanislaw Karczewski also met with Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis.
In February Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Lithuania and later Panckietis came to Warsaw. Last week Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was in Vilnius and last Sunday, Polish Sejm (lower house) Speaker Marek Kuchcisnki was a guest at celebrations of Lithuania's independence centenary. (PAP)
ej/
