Valentinas Mitė on the difficult relations between Lithuania and Russia

[Phlegethon]

Delfi - Lithuania

Valentinas Mitė on the difficult relations between Lithuania and Russia

Valentinas Mitė asks on the news portal Delfi why relations between Lithuania and Russia are so poor: "In actual fact the preconditions aren't that bad. Lithuania has no territorial claims against Russia and vice versa. In Lithuania there are no problems with a Russian minority, as there are in Estonia and Latvia: all the residents of the Lithuanian Soviet republic became Lithuanian citizens irrespective of their nationality and are thus EU citizens today. The Kremlin is very aware of the differences between the three Baltic states but nonetheless lumps the three countries together, and this policy is very unfriendly towards Lithuania." In Mite's opinion the disgruntlement over transit in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad Oblast and the oil pipeline to Lithuania are not the explanation: "The main problem lies not in the present but in the past. Russia is the legal successor of the Soviet Union but it does not actually recognise the occupation of Lithuania. This amount to the denial of a historical fact and could have tragic consequences for Lithuania. But calls for compensation for the occupation are not realistic." (07/08/2009)

[Jarl]

Extreme Russian nationalists deem Lithuania a part of Russia (like half of Europe). Lithuanian nationalists make claims to Lithuania Minor - a historical region within East Prussia with Prussian-Lithuanian population. Not so long ago, Russians demanded a "transit corridor" to Kaliningrad through Lithuanian territory.