Firstly Lithuania has infringed the Russians and now goes at the Poles

The Attorney General’s Office of Lithuania was engaged in investigation of the appeals of some Poles of Lithuania to the autonomy of the Vilnius region. They have arisen because of open problems of the Polish national minority of republic and don't come from its leaders. Nevertheless, the extremist appeals are noticed. According to the opinion of law enforcement agency, their authors encroach on the territorial integrity of republic. And though it is purely Polish-Lithuanian political conflict, some political scientists try to implicate Moscow to it. Allegedly, it is profitable to Russia to set two countries at variance. And one of figures, the former diplomat, has reminded of how in 1990 year the Kremlin played the moods of the Poles of the Vilnius region disturbed by the announcement of independence by Lithuania – and the conclusion comes to mind as if Moscow can kindle such fire now.

Actually the scandal between Lithuania and Poland has deep historical roots. Two countries lived in the structure of the general state for a long time, namely Rech Pospolitaya. They have the general history. The Poles of the Vilnius region have appeared as a part of Lithuania in the course of difficult historical changes but in 1920 in the time of marshal Juzef Pilsudski Poland still considered this territory as its own. It have been grasped and it was in the environs of Warsaw until Stalin in hasn't returned it to Lithuania according to secret arrangements of Molotov-Ribbentrop pact in 1993. Now in Lithuania the capture of Vilnius by the general Lucjan Zeligowski Juzefa on an instigation of Josef Pilsudski is considered as occupation and here the local Poles faithfully come to a tomb of marshal’s mother in Vilnius where his heart is buried also. The essence of the present conflict is that the Poles, being the autochthons of the region, high-grade and numerous (about 7 percent) citizens of Lithuania, would like to use their language in territory of compact residing according to the Frame convention on protection of national minorities. But the authorities don't go to meet them.

In the beginning of 90th it seemed that Lithuania and Poland have found a common language. They have agreed to give history to historians, to develop relations. It has occurred not only because of joint aspiration to enter EU and the NATO (now they are the members of these structures) but also, possibly, because of the general negative attitude to Russia. The relations of the Poles of the Vilnius region with the central authorities nevertheless began to become aggravated with the lapse of time. Warsaw somehow smoothed these disagreements while Lech Kaczynski was the president of Poland, however after his destruction in accident near Smolensk they have ceased to ignore.

The scandal began to develop promptly that the Poles whom in the region is overwhelming majority, it is forbidden to hang up, for example, the tablet with names of streets in the Polish language on the houses; their surnames in passports are often deformed on the Lithuanian mode but the authorities don't allow to write them how they sound in the Polish language (in Lithuanian there are no some Polish letters) though such arrangement was; they return the earth to the Poles of Lithuania unwillingly etc. Definitively the relations have rolled down after acceptance by the Seim of Lithuania of amendments to the law of education according to which the part of subjects is translated into the Lithuanian language at schools of national minorities – Russian, Polish and others. It was reminded to Seim that teaching was conducted exclusively in the Lithuanian language in Soviet Union at the Lithuanian schools, there were some lessons of Russian per week, nobody encroached on national culture as now they encroach on Polish and Russian in Lithuania but there is no reaction.

And already the leader of the Selective action of the Poles of Lithuania (so the party is called), euromember of parliament Valdemar Tomashevsky is accused of kindling the national disagreement for rigid upholding of the rights of national minorities and for the statement that the local Poles shouldn't be integrated anywhere, because they are not aliens here but autochthons.

The speaker of Seim Irena Degutiene with indignation has told to the answer, “I urge all the Poles living in Lithuania to think whether it is really necessary. Is really such pressure between the Poles and Lithuanians in Lithuania. I think it isn't so”. However, judging by results of municipal elections, the position of the Polish party is supported actively by the population. In the regions round Vilnius it has won an absolute victory and in the capital has taken the second place in the block with Russian alliance. Nevertheless, and the Lithuanian union of political prisoners and exiled persons have accused the Selective action of Poles of kindling the national disagreement and named the claims of Valdemar Tomashevsky as “slanderous complaints” at the congress. The joining of forces with the Russian party has caused the suspicions of Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronjus Azhubalis, who transparently hinted at activity of "some embassies of east countries”.

But Warsaw supports the compatriots absolutely openly and rigidly and Moscow gets nothing for pains here. Having answering the question whether the Lithuanian law of education will worsen the position of the Poles of Lithuania, the speaker of the Polish Senate Bogdan Borusevich has declared, “These relations can't be worsened even more. They are so bad that I can’t fancy that can be even worse”.

However, the president of Lithuania Dalia Gribauskaite says that this law will help the representatives of national minorities to become high-grade citizens of Lithuania but the critics of the document consider differently, believing that the lithuanization and marginalization of schools of national minorities are carried out.

The political scientist Tomas Janeliunas whether with irony, whether seriously confirms: in statements that the relations between Lithuania and Poland have reached a bottom, it is possible to see a positive moment, after all now they need to rise only.

On this background the radical appeals also began to be distributed from someone from the Poles. The appeals to autonomy aren't so harmless, even if their authors blurt out, without having thought. There is no concept about autonomy in laws of Lithuania and the Lithuanian politicians especially jealously watch a situation after the intrigues of the Soviet Kremlin in 90th year with the Poles of the Vilnius region. That reminder of the former diplomat falls on the soil loosened with suspicions. In 1990 year, the future member of the State Committee of the State Emergency, a member of the Political bureau of the Central Committee of the CPSU Oleg Shenin often visited the Vilnius region, trying to upset the plans of Vilnius on finding of independence. And it is no known how would these visits come to an end if not the attempt of the State Committee of the State Emergency and the followed collapse of the USSR. And as many politicians of Lithuania try to explain the problems of republic by the intrigues of the Kremlin and so they would like to see “a hand of Moscow” in the Polish-Lithuanian conflict.

But there are also sober notes. The Prime minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius, who has compared one week ago the requirements of Valdemar Tomashevsky with the behavior of the child “who constantly complains and tells nonsense” as if has thought suddenly and has urged not to search the guilty persons and to speak about a solution of a problem. “I think that we should remember and tell clearly to ourselves that Lithuania is our general house”, he has told.