Lithuanian, Polish MPs to discuss historic memory, intl relations

VILNIUS – Lithuanian and Polish lawmakers plan to meet later this week to discuss issues related to historic memory and international relations.

Arunas Gumuliauskas, chairman of the Lithuanian Seimas' Commission for the Rights and Affairs of Participants of Resistance to Occupation Regimes and Victims of Occupation, says the inter-parliamentary assembly of Lithuanian and Polish politicians will consider possibilities to carry out wider research into interwar history.

"God forbid, politicians will definitely not get involved in historic investigative processes but we, as government representatives, will seek to promote those investigations and a more active dialogue to eliminate those blank spots in our history and for those spots not to be used by unfriendly third powers," the lawmaker told BNS Lithuania.

In his words, Lithuanians and Polish still disagree on such issues like the occupation of the Vilnius region and the activity of the Polish Home Army (Polish: Armia Krajowa).

"There's no common, or even close, position on many issues in both Polish and Lithuanian historiography," Gumuliauskas said. "Today when Lithuanian-Polish relations are good, third powers are trying to bring us head to head through the historic memory prism."

The Lithuanian-Polish inter-parliamentary assembly, to take place on Sunday and Monday, will also touch upon Lithuanian and Polish positions at international organization, including NATO, EU and the Council of Europe.

It will be the second assembly since February when it resumed work after holding the last meeting in May, 2009.

Stanislaw Karczewski, speaker of the Polish Senate, will also pay a visit to Lithuania this weekend.