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- There were tight relations between the Lithuanian and Moldovan leaders of national liberation movement at the end of 80’s beginning of 90’s. Nowadays vice-president of the Parliament, leader of the Christian-Democratic Party, Iurie Rosca, said that in that period you helped Moldovans to print by samizdat several publications of the national liberation movement of those times. In 1989 you participated at a mass-meeting in Chisinau, after which you was “kindly” asked by the security representatives not to come to Moldova anymore. Do you remember those times?

- Being in Sajudis, I was responsible for the international relations with USSR republics. We were aware of the fact that Lithuania can’t exist alone as a democratic and independent state. In order to have a democratic and independent Lithuania, it was necessary that democracy wins in the rest of USSR republics. That’s why I was traveling a lot. I’ve been to Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and even in the Asian republics. Of course I’ve been to Russia, especially in Kaliningrad. In 1989 I was in Chisinau and said that Moldova would be free. Now I’m again in Chisinau and I tell you that Moldova belongs to the European civilization.

- In that period Lithuania and Moldova were approximately in the same situation. And now, Lithuania is an European Union and NATO member, but Moldova hasn’t even accomplished the stipulations of cooperation and partnership Agreement, which represents only the first step on the way to eurointegration, and doesn’t even have any intention to join NATO. How did Lithuania succeed?

- Firstly, we were united. Before every election, all political parties were signing a memorandum in accordance with which, regardless election results, they had to move the country on the way to democracy, freedom and reforms, NATO and European Union being our goals. After elections, the victorious parties were voting a declaration in the Parliament, which had the same content, but already becoming a juridical act.

Secondly, we were telling everybody on any occasion that we belonged to the European civilization, that we were Europeans, that we wanted in the European Union. Some people were looking at us with surprise, others with irony, telling us: “Yes, you are Europeans, but you will reach Europe in 50 or 100 years”. Step by step, some people started to understand us and to support us. The important thing was that we knew from the beginning where we wanted to go: neither South, nor North, neither East, nor West, but to Europe, in the European Union.

Thirdly, when we were understood, we were given time for do our homework, in order to carry out reforms. At first we didn’t take it very seriously. We were saying: “What reforms! If they want - they will accept us in the European Union, if they don’t - they will not accept us: is politics that decides, not reforms”. In the same time, our neighbor, Estonia, was making less politics and more reforms and it was invited to the negotiations, but we were not invited. At this point we understood that we had to make reforms. We were told very simply: “This is your land, your country, your people. You make reforms for yourselves and you will live the way you organize yourselves.” And it is correct. Every new EU and NATO member should reinforce these structures, not damage them. That’s why the countries that want to join European Union should be ready for this.  That’s why today I wouldn’t vote for accepting a member which is not ready yet.

We have a moral obligation to help Moldova

- Why did you come to Chisinau? Why have you decided to lose time with us?

- Because of several reasons. Firstly, Lithuania has a moral obligation to do it. We were also helped. Now it’s our turn to help others.

Secondly, we are interested in a stable and secure region. We don’t want to have just a balance of forces, because this balance could collapse one day becoming a chaos. We would like to have a region that shares the same European values, the same principles.

Thirdly, I came to Chisinau because we have economic interests in this region. We are interested in an advantageous mutual economic cooperation. Maybe we succeed to buy foodstuffs from Moldova, which are cheaper and maybe better than those we import nowadays. We know that your wines are very tasty and we would also like to buy these wines. In the same time, we also have some products that we could sell here.

- What are the problems Lithuanians are fighting with, after joining the European Union?

- Joining the European Union doesn’t mean getting solutions to all your problems. There are problems. Many Lithuanians left the country, thousands of hundreds, taking into account that the number of population is 3,5 millions. There are problems, but they are not different from those we were fighting with in the past. We survived in the extremely severe USSR conditions, and be sure we will survive in these extremely favorable condition we have being a part of the European Union. We receive billions of Euro in order to reach a new standard of life. But this is not the most important thing. The main advantage is that we returned to our natural European environment, that we have access to the European values and experience, from which we were estranged for decades.

NATO offers the feeling of security

- As well as Moldova, Lithuania is a little country. How convenient is for a little country to be a part of a collective defending system, as NATO is?

- Being a member of NATO makes the citizens of Lithuania feel more secure, taking into account the fact that according to the basic set up acts of this organization, any attack against a NATO member is considered to be an attack against all members of this military coalition. 

Moreover, the safety of any state is threatened by terrorism, human traffic, drugs, weapons, and all these represent a global threat, that are spread much more beyond one state frontiers’. That’s why, in order to oppose these global threats, a global security system like NATO is necessary. And it is much cheaper from the financial point of view to participate at financing a common security system, instead of ensuring your security by yourself.

Sergiu Praporscis, “FLUX”