VILNIUS - Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski paid a two-day state visit to Lithuania on March 9, escaping a tumult of criticism at home. While in Vilnius, Kwasniewski collected awards and spoke about Lithuania and Poland's successful contribution to EU policy.
The Polish president has been widely lambasted by Polish lawmakers and journalists, labeling him a coward on the eve of his departure. Most of the criticism revolves around Kwasniewski's refusal to appear as a witness in a privatization case over the oil company Orlen. Opponents of the president have alleged that his wife, Jolanta Kwasniewska, is involved in the scandal.
Despite his mounting domestic problems, Kwasniewski was well-received in Vilnius and enjoyed a full state reception from long-time partner and friend President Valdas Adamkus.
"Cooperation with Adamkus is more than just a part of my political life; it is also an important part of my private life," Kwasniewski said.
But the one question lingering on the lips of local journalists and politicians was what the Polish president thought of Adamkus' widely-publicized decision not to attend the May 9 Victory Day ceremony in Moscow.
Adamkus' decision was said to have caused doubts in Poland over Kwasniewski's plans to attend the event. After learning of Adamkus' decision, the Polish president said that he "must think about it."
However, he clarified his position on the matter in Vilnius, saying that, although he respected Adamkus' choice, he would still attend the ceremony since the post-war situation in the Baltic states differed from Poland. He said that while Lithuania had lost its independence after World War II, beginning a new occupation and mass repression, Poland did not disappear from the world's political map, and retained some degree of independence.
Parliamentary Chairman Arturas Paulauskas asked Kwasniewski to remind the other participants at the May 9 ceremony in Moscow of the illegal occupation of Lithuania and the events that led up to it.
"I asked him to once again mention the occupation, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, and the fact that our decision not to go is based on historical facts and an assessment of the past. It is important to tell Russian people this, as they don't know that history," Paulauskas told journalists after meeting with the Polish president.
In the Seimas (Lithuania's parliament) Kwasniewski said that a celebration commemorating the end of WWII was impossible without assessing the historical events of 1945.
"A commemoration of the victory against Hitler's Third Reich will not reflect the whole historical truth unless we remember the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and its tragic consequences, which painfully tore Europe apart for half a century," the Polish president said before the Seimas. His words were met with loud applause.
"For the Central and East European nations, memories of the events on May 8-9, 1945 carry many meanings. First of all, it was the end of a war-time nightmare, but then, there was also concern about the future existence of our sovereign nations," he added.
The visiting president also spoke about the Lithuanian and Polish contribution to the formation of European policy in his address to the Seimas.
"Today, being members of the European Union, we can form an image of the continent together," Kwasniewski said, emphasizing that by successfully helping to resolve the political crisis in Ukraine last December, both countries had shown their ability to actively participate in EU policy.
Last year Adamkus and Kwasniewski acted as mediators in efforts to resolve Ukraine's post-election political crisis. Their efforts were widely praised by the international community.
Kwasniewski collected two awards during his official state visit. He became an honorary doctor of Vilnius University, and later was granted the title of honorary citizen of Kaunas by the city's Municipal Council. The latter also praised Kwasniewski for promoting economic cooperation between the two countries.
"I have been told that I am the first foreigner granted the title of honorary citizen of Kaunas. I really appreciate this, but I come here so often that one can hardly view me as a foreigner," Kwasniewski said.
