Lithuania-Polish parlt assembly resumes work after decade-long break

VILNIUS – The Lithuanian-Polish Parliamentary Assembly has resumed work after a decade-long break.

"Practically after a break of ten years we have resumed our inter-parliamentary relations. We can be glad over the fact that our parliaments can now discuss various issues, which we lacked earlier," Arvydas Nekrosius, leading the Lithuanian Seimas' delegation, told BNS Lithuania on Wednesday.

In his words, a declaration adopted during lawmakers' meeting in Warsaw stressed the importance of this format and the need to continue meetings in the future.

"We could talk about cooperation in the areas of security, defense, energy security, various infrastructure projects, and also issues related to the situation of ethnic minorities," Nekrosius said.

The declaration states that Lithuania and Poland share their assessment of challenges and threats posed by Russia's "confrontational policy" towards Western countries and Eastern Partnership countries, especially Ukraine and Georgia. The document also expresses solidarity with Ukraine and calls on Russia to immediately released the Ukrainian seamen detained in the Kerch Strait in late November.

Moreover, the declaration underlines "common political will" to maintain friendly neighborly relations, expresses satisfaction over "constructive cooperation on improving education conditions for the Polish minority in Lithuania and the Lithuanian minority in Poland“, and also stresses both countries' objective "to respect ethnic minorities' rights through the protection of their culture, education and language."