Lituanica

As the BNS informed the Lithuanian press is seen as having one of the highest levels of free press among Eastern European and post-Soviet countries and is even ahead of counterparts in some of European Union’s (EU) old-timer countries.

According to the BNS this finding was revealed by the Global Press Freedom Survey 2008 announced by US-based NGO Freedom House, promoting global development of freedom.

BNS pointed out that as shown in the survey, Lithuania together with the Czech Republic share the second and third places ,both countries were rated 18, among Central and Eastern Europe as well as former Soviet Union countries according to freedom of press. Estonia is a leader when it comes to freedom of press in this group of countries, and received the rating of 16 in the report.

The aforementioned countries, together with slightly lower rated Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland, made it to the ranks of nations, which enjoy free press.

Lithuania has always been known for its Agriculture sector.  However, the steep rise of the other sectors left the agriculture sector lagging behind and the sector’s contributions to the national GDP is in constant decline.

Never the less, apparently doomed industry is experiencing a revival.  This process is not confined only to Lithuania; this is the world’s tendency.  The recent grab of the ‘Agrowill Group’ stock in the auction only reveilles that the sector is on the way to recovery.  Especially encouraging sign for the company and for the sector as a whole is that the Scandinavian funds bought about 95% of all shares.

Interestingly enough, the business daily ‘Verslo Zinios’ (owned by the Swedish capital) announced an interesting article.  Minister of the Foreign Affairs, Mr Vaitiekunas paid a visit to Kuwait last month.  He also brought a large delegation of the Lithuanian businessmen with him.

Apparently the representatives of the Lithuanian Agriculture sector had a proposal from the Kuwaiti businessman to replace the Danish agriculture products in Kuwait.  This is of course an aftermath of the caricature scandal in 2005.  As the article claims, the Lithuanians have a great opportunity to replace all Scandinavian products in the Gulf States.  According to the paper the Gulf States imported USD12 bln worth of the agriculture products in 2006, or 98% of all agriculture products.

The Lithuanians are shocked with the proposal and admit that this would be a huge challenge to the sector.  Not the major concern I guess but rather important to the Lithuanians how to not offend our strategic partners! Hence, the Lithuanian businessmen are considering cooperating with their Scandinavian colleagues and becoming an intermediate between the Gulf States and Scandinavia.  The Scandinavians could send their products to Lithuania and the Lithuanians could pack them into the Lithuanian packages and provide the products to the Gulf States!  The wolf is fed and the sheep is intact!

All Lithuania celebrated the 90^th Independence Day.  In 1918, February 16 group of 20 Lithuanian intellectuals gathered in Vilnius and declared Lithuania’s Independence.  A week later the Estonians followed suit, the Latvians caught up in November of 1918.

I am not going to remind you importance of this day in the Lithuanian history, and would recommend you to visit the Wikipedia site.  I would like to talk about the present.

Interestingly enough but the Baltic States of Lithuanian, Latvia and Estonia has a great tradition of raising the flags of all three countries in marking each country’s Independence Day.

This was decided when the three Baltic States regained their hard thought Independence in 1990.  However, few years later our states turned into competitors, even in achieving their strategic aims of joining the NATO, and especially the EU.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with a good competition, and after all, perhaps because of that the occupied ex-Soviet provinces managed to catch up and join the EU together with Eastern European States like Czech Republic and Slovenia.

The well-deserved Baltic States acceptance to the Western political and security club almost left those states without a future direction.  There is a feeling of achievement and calmness, and an attitude that since we are in, we are safe, prevails.  Estonia is concentrated in becoming a Golden Province of the EU and completely turned into itself in perusing its goal.

Furthermore, Riga is experiencing the ‘eyes opening revelation’ and is conciliating of becoming a Russian advocates in the Brussels.  The influx of the Russian investment into Riga is playing its part in ‘turning’ some politicians into ‘friendly’ mood.  Of course, one has to have in mind a ‘delicate’ size of the national minority, especially in Riga.  If one is running Riga, one could run the all country.

In short the Baltic States are so pleased with themselves to such extend that we begun to forget our history lessons.  We can survive only when we stick together.  Lets remember 1920s and 1930s when we never managed to create a block together and lost our independence, and lets compare it to the 1990s.  The Economist called Latvia a ‘swing state’, which is starting to become manipulated by the Kremlin.  The same author warns that Russia is starting to retrieve the Eastern European states ‘not by tanks but by banks’.  Edward Lucas also notices that the West is loosing its influence in the Eastern Europe and is ‘rolling back’.

In short the Empire is striking back.  The Baltic States should drop an illusion that the ‘West will help us’ and start uniting its act together.  The West will not help anyone unless one is willing to help yourself.  The Baltic States should enhance their cooperation and start thinking about the Baltic region as one entity.  At least the three should begin cooperating closely in the security and information areas.  If the Finnish President voiced an initiative to begin an enhanced cooperation in security amongst the Baltic and Nordic States it should be taken as a wake up call to the region.

The Baltic States are also loosing the information war to Russia.  An average Balt knows much better what is happening in London or in Stockholm rather than in Vilnius, Tallinn or Riga.  Apart from the Baltic Times weekly there is not a Pan Baltic information outlet, which would cover all three Baltic States.  I am not talking about the City Paper that is based in Riga but writes mainly about Estonia that is not a bad think in itself.  A trouble with the Baltic Times is that, at least in Lithuania, we have very few politicians with a decent command of English, even though the young generation has no problem with that.

Despite the advancement of the IT the absolute majority of the Balts receive their main news from the TV.  Hence, what about a Pan Baltic TV channel which would broadcast in all three languages with the local subtitles.  Such a channel could ‘introduce’ all three states to each other, and hence will make us closer.  From what I understand the Lithuanian National translator approached the Latvian colleagues with such an idea.  However, the answer was negative due to lack of funding.

The Romans wisely observed that if a nation doesn’t provide for its own army, sooner of latter it will have to provide for the foreign troops.  The Baltic States already providing to the foreign troops, in the face of the Pan Baltic Kremlin’s financed Russian language First Baltic Channel, which is, by coincidence is registered in Riga. Lets hope that the New Pan Baltic and the Polish Ignalina Nuclear Plant project will be a source of growing unity amongst all four and especially amongst the Balts.  The project might take more than a decade to complete, hence we will be compelled to cooperate and get know each other better.

Lets hope that the news about the building of the plant will reach the general participant countries’ public not only via the First Baltic Channel, Regnum.ru or other Kremlin controlled media outlets but by our own media outlets.  The Kremlin is extremely skilful in manipulating information to its own needs.  Hence, lets unite, lets work together!

As the BNS informed Lithuania is interested in building an energy link to Sweden and joining the Nordic energy market without delay.  Lithuanian PM Kirkilas said this during his one day trip to  Stockholm on Tuesday.

As the  PM’s press office wrote at a meeting with Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt, Kirkilas also informed him about the course of development of the new nuclear power plant project, the governmental press service reported.

The heads of the Lithuanian and Swedish governments discussed possible ecologic risks of laying the gas pipeline Nordstream on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. In Kirkilas’ opinion, it requires an independent assessment of environmental effects and consultations with all countries to be influenced by the project.

PM Kirkilas also met with various officials from the sister Social Democratic party and the Trade Unions, addressed the SAMAK’s Annual Meeting 2008.

This blog mentioned that the Lithuanian border guards detained two Nashi activists who validated the Lithuanian national border on the December 31, 2007.

On the January 14 the Varėna court pronounced a verdict of guilty to two Nashi activists, Konstantin Goloskokov and Anton Dugin.

As the BNS informed the two Russian citizens were imposed administrative arrest of 35 days each. The court also confiscated the belongings found with them during a search including mobile telephones, navigation equipment, a compass and night-vision devices.

State prosecutor Audrius Matulionis suggested to the BNS that the suspects should be sentenced to 60 days in prison each.  “What is important is that they were found guilty,” Matulionis said.

The time Goloskokov and Dugin have spent in custody after Dec. 31 will be included in the arrest period imposed by the court, this way, the suspects have served almost a half of their sentence.

The BNS maintains that the Nashi activists claimed they were free-lance correspondents and had the task of preparing a story on the guarding of the Lithuanian border.

In addition one of the activists was carrying with himself cash worth of 24K LTL or almost 7K Euro.  Those money will also be confiscated.

Lithuanian authorities believe that the two men wanted to proceed to the Estonian capital Tallinn, where they were to participate in a ceremony at the so-called bronze soldier, a monument to Soviet soldiers.

Lithuania is commemorating a day of Freedom defenders.  17 years ago the Soviet troops – the Pskov division and the KGB elite Alfa Special Forces attempted to crush the newly reborn Lithuanian state.  Some died from the shot wounds; the Soviet tanks crushed some.  In total 14 peaceful civilian freedom defenders lost their lives, hundreds more wounded.

The January 13 events are deeply ingrained in the Lithuanian’s hearts.  I would place this date to one of the most important events in the Lithuanian history.  I would call it Lithuania’s ‘Winter War’, which came some 50 years later.  Same like the Fins in 1939 decided to fight with the much larger enemy despite the fears that the Soviets swiftly will crush the resistance.

The Lithuanian Winter War in January 1991 was a crucial for the survival of our nation as the Žalgiris battle in 1410, as the Lithuanians fights against the Bolsheviks in 1920, as the Partisan War after World War two.  The January events as one Lithuanian commentator noted, materialised and institutionalised Lithuania’s freedom, which was declared in March 1990.

This day is a pride of Lithuania, and the probably the most important day in my life.  In this day a teenager turned into a responsible citizen of a free nation, who was ready to sacrifice his life for motherland and freedom.  I had a honour to be amongst thousands in the square in the front of the Parliament, listening to the creaking Soviet tanks coming after they already ‘done their duty for the Soviet motherland’ next to the TV tower. We heard what happened some hour ago in the front of the TV Tower, we new that the soldiers were using the real bullets; we knew that the tanks crushed the people.

At that moment a rumour had it that during the storm of the TV tower the Soviets killed hundreds of people.  And hence, we were waiting for those same Soviet solders to come to the square, shoot at us, crush us, and take away from us not only our lives but also our freedom.

Freedom from all of us in this square and from all in Lithuania; in the towns and villages who gathered to defend institutions which defined our statehood; the post offices, the TV and radio studios, the train stations, the municipality buildings.  All of us, teenagers who still went to the school, like myself, the pensioners, the students, the teachers, the factory workers, the bus drivers, all of us!

However, the Parliament was the heart of our statehood, the square around it was a human shield which had nothing just their love of freedom, motherland, believe, hope.  Our only weapon was against the Soviet tanks and the Kalashnikovs was our bear arms and our songs, which made a huge crowd as a one body. Your hear the squeak of the tanks, you feel the vibrating ground under your feet, you hear a pledge form the loudspeaker coming out of the Parliament urging the old, women and children to leave the square.  No one moves an inch.

You hear the voice of a priest Grigas, who gives to the people last redemption of signs.  Not to the soldiers who are given orders ‘take the parliament by all means’, but to the people whom those soldiers peppered to slaughter.  Then you hear voice from the loudspeaker to move away from the Parliament’s glass walls, since the falling glass will heart many.  Yes, we heard they the tanks were shooting while storming the TV tower.

Then you wait, hoping that by standing on this spot you will be an obstacle on the way of the solders and tanks that will storm the Parliament.  You, hope that maybe you will prolong Lithuania’s freedom for a tiny wee second.  You catch yourself thinking what you have done in your life, to whom you would like to apologies, to whom you would like to say thank you, or I love you, or I am sorry…  You and people around you are preparing yourself for a final sacrifice, final duty to your motherland…

This was the purest and the strongest feeling I have ever experienced.  It makes my eyes water when I return to those moments in January 13, 1991.  A miracle appeared – the soviet tanks stopped, the soldiers retuned to they barracks and the bloodshed was avoided.  A little nation became a big nation, the Soviet Empire collapsed.

I thank God and my destiny for giving me an opportunity to live through those honourable moments and perhaps understand what a freedom defender felt in the Baltic Forrest during the resistance to the Soviet occupation, or a simple Finish solder facing advancing numerous Soviet troops in the Winter War.  Long live momories of those fallen 14 heroes who sacrificed their lives in January 13, 1991.

Read more on Calr Bildt blog and in the Everyday’s Holiday blog        

According to a survey commissioned last December by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Lithuanians are equally concerned with both the moral and material compensation of damage caused by soviet occupation. A slightly greater part of the population thinks talks with Russia should begin over moral compensation.

The Russians are stating that we should forget history and look to the future.  They also claim that the Lithuanians should remember that the USSR invested into the Baltic States, so the Balts could achieve the decent living standards.  The Lithuanians are maintaining that only acknowledgment of the crimes of the past Russia could start its journey to a civilised future.  This would help Russia not to repeat the crimes against its neighbours again.

Regarding the USSR’s investment to the Baltic States the Lithuanians claim that it is impossible to compare to the value of the lost lives, which resulted in the Soviet occupation.  Another example, which illustrates the damage that the Soviets inflicted on, the Balts lies just to the North of Tallinn; Finland and the Baltic States had very similar living standards just before the Soviet occupation.  And just look at us now!

BNS reported that most of respondents don’t believe Russia would compensate the damage caused in any one way or another.  Some 47 % of respondents are more concerned with compensation of moral damage - Russia’s acknowledgement that the occupation took place at all and an apology. A similar number, 46.8 % of the population, think that material compensation is more momentous. Another 6.2 % of respondents have no clear opinion on the subject.

The country’s youth gives priority to compensation of moral damage, together with university graduates and larger city dwellers.

During the Soviet occupation, Lithuania lost up to one-third of its population to deportations, killings, forced emigration. Lithuania has estimated the damages of 50 years of the Soviet occupation at 80 billion litas (EUR 23 b). Russia is categorically refusing to start discussions on the matter to this day. 

I would like to present you with a more updated version of the article from the Lietuvos Rytas

As the BNS reported Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen have expressed certitude that a united energy network of Baltic and Nordic countries would be created in the future.

During a meeting with Vanhanen in Vilnius on Monday, Adamkus stressed that the vital task for Lithuania and the rest of the Baltic region was to liberate from the dependence on one energy resource.“Through energy bridge projects with the Scandinavian country we can develop a common energy network,” said the president.

The Finnish prime minister seconded his opinion, stating conviction that “a united energy market of Baltic and Nordic countries will be created in near future. It is just a matter of time.”

Adamkus also stressed that it could use the experience of Finland, which is currently building a nuclear power plant, in the implementation of the new nuclear power plant project.

As the President’s press office announced the Vilnius Energy Security Conference 2007: Responsible Energy for Responsible Partners held on 10-11 October 2007 is broadcasted live by Internet via Windows Media and RealMedia.