News

During the ongoing international Conference on Safety of Journalists on 7 June in Vilnius, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis met with famous Russian lawyer and human rights activist, Presidential Advisor Mikhail Fedotov and discussed with him sensitive issues of the history of Lithuania and Russia.

During the conversation, the Minister thanked M.Fedotov that the issues, which were raised during their previous meeting on 3 February in Moscow, regarding the painful history of both countries and nations and the need to evaluate the crimes committed by Stalin, were not forgotten and were reflected in the proposal of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, headed by M.Fedotov, to establish a nationwide “Project on the Perpetuation of the Memory of Victims of the Totalitarian Regime and on National Reconciliation” in Russia.

Minister A.Ažubalis stressed that he very much appreciated the efforts of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation to address this issue and make difficult decisions, which are very necessary not only to the citizens of the neighboring countries that had suffered from the regime, but, first of all, to Russia itself.

The Minister acquainted M.Fedotov with the programme of the Year of Remembrance of Defence of Freedom and Great Losses in Lithuania.

Mass deportations began on 14 June 70 years ago and the solemn sitting of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania is planned on this day, also commemorative events are scheduled to honor the victims in the train stations from where the deportations started and in the Museum of Genocide Victims. In Lithuania, the Year of Remembrance of Defence of Freedom and Great Losses is associated not only with Stalin’s crimes against the people of Lithuania and the destruction of the nation’s elite, but also with the occupation of the country, an attempt to take away its statehood and the beginning of the new fight for Independence.

Minister A.Ažubalis also noted that for a number of years Lithuania with the help of the Russian Embassy in Vilnius had been organizing “Mission to Siberia”, the trips of young people to the places of exile in Russia and in other countries. Two missions are planned in July this year, one of them to the Tomsk region of Russia. The Lithuanian youth has just started to cooperate on these issues with youth organizations of Russia. Therefore, support and assistance at the highest level would be very useful.