VILNIUS - The dilemma as to whether President Valdas Adamkus should attend the 60th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in Moscow continues to confound politicians, analysts and society and has led to widespread debate.
Various media sources published unofficial statements last week saying that Adamkus had made up his mind to reject President Vladimir Putin's invitation. The Presidential Palace rushed to deny the information, claiming that the president still has not made a final decision.
Many intellectuals and politicians are arguing that Lithuania would not gain anything if its president attended the ceremonies. Rather, the visit would only go toward supporting Soviet propaganda.
Vytautas Radzvilas, professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, and Ceslovas Laurinavicius, an historian at the Institute of Lithuanian History, said that Adamkus' trip to Moscow in May would be acceptable only if Russia acknowledged the occupation of the Baltics and recognized that the aftermath of World War II was only eliminated with the independence of the Baltic states.
"Russia should admit that its actions before WWII, which involved eliminating independence in the Baltic states, were illegal," said Laurinavicius. "However, Russia now is fostering a dangerous propaganda myth that purportedly no occupation took place. If so, the Baltic states were a mere matter of conjuncture that managed to self-destruct. If this is the explanation of the Baltic states' interwar statehood, then perhaps they consider the current independence of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia similarly."
In Radzvilas' words, "If the president rejected the visit, we would hear accusations that he isn't considering the country's pragmatic interest - just out of pure pride. However, a big part of society does understand that the May 9 celebration in Moscow is also meant for more than just the victory against Nazism. It is also arranged with an intention to confirm that the Soviet totalitarian regime was valid."
Historians argue that it is important to take into consideration the grounds of Lithuanian statehood, not only practical matters of everyday life.
"There are a lot of issues that are indistinct in everyday life, but they compound the foundation of a state. The visit would historically signify that Nazism was a disaster, and the victory against it was a festival for all humankind. However, one should not forget that Russia took advantage of the war against Nazism and expanded the Soviet empire," Laurinavicius said. "And the Baltic states were the first victims of the imperial expansion."
The president is not holding out on any gesture of reciprocity from Moscow. "I believe we should be realistic on the question. Understanding the political situation in Russia, to hope that present Russia could denounce the occupation aims of the Soviet Union - this will not happen," Adamkus said.
Unlike Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania already has a border agreement with Russia and thus has no immediate stimulus for attending the anniversary celebrations. But the former are aware of the risks.
"Russia is playing with the Baltic states and with Latvia too," Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis said to Latvian Radio on Dec. 30. "Before making a decision on attending the Victory Day celebration in Moscow, representatives of our state have to make sure that Russia indeed intends to sign the border treaty with Latvia - so that we don't end up in Moscow on May 9 and on May 10 there is not enough ink to sign the document," he said.
Society itself is split over the issue. Fifty-one percent of respondents in an opinion poll conducted by RAIT supported the idea of Adamkus' trip to Moscow, while 45 percent prefer that he not go.
"If Adamkus does fly, the hyperpatriots will raise an uproar. If he does not fly, Russians will label him as fascist. We can pay our respects to the war victims in Moscow; but on the same day we should inform Vladimir Putin on how we feel about Stalinist crimes," said Social Democrat MP Algirdas Paleckis.
So far, none of the three Baltic presidents has made a final decision on the attendance to the celebration. The three Baltic heads agreed earlier in November to agree on a common position regarding the Russian invitation.
In mid-November a group of 100 MEPs signed a letter initiated by British and Baltic representatives urging to assess the true political intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an open letter the politicians saw the celebrations as giving an endorsement "to the Soviet occupation and the crimes of totalitarian communism."
The letter accused Russia of evading its responsibility for crimes against humanity committed by the Soviets.
