Butkevičius: It was a PR action necessary before the approaching European Parliament election (The Prime Minister about Tomaszewski’s statement)

Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius announced that he wants to preserve stability in the present coalition but not at all costs. Therefore he will not tolerate such statements in which one of the partners – the leader of AWPL (Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania) Waldemar Tomaszewski threatens to resign. The Prime Minister suggested that the statement made by Tomaszewski may be connected with the approaching European Parliament election.

The Prime Minister said that in looking for compromise solutions, such statements bringing  short-lived political profits cannot be announced publicly. ‘This really cannot last long and in the long run no one is going to allow it’ – said in the interview for ‘Laisvoji banga’ Algirdas Butkevičius.

On Monday, after the session of the political council of ruling coalition, Waldemar Tomaszewski stated that AWPL may leave the coalition because the partners had failed to keep their promises. Tomaszewski is not satisfied with the way in which  the money from the budget is allocated for investment projects and the fact that the fourth post of the deputy minister in the Ministry of Energy has not been created. In conversation with ‘Rzeczpospolita’, the leader of AWPL said that the issues connected with national minorities are not solved as well.

‘This last statement will not contribute to the improvement of the situation. Yesterday I said openly that the statement had nothing to do with the problems discussed in the session. During the discussion we did not talk about leaving the coalition’ – the Prime Minister informed.

Afterwards, the Prime Minister suggested that in this way the leader of AWPL wanted to motivate electorate. ‘In my opinion it was a PR action which perhaps was necessary before the approaching European Parliament election. I think, however, that in the next week we will dot the i’s and cross the t’s’ – said the Prime Minister.

Algirdas Butkevičius assessed the visit of the head of Lithuanian diplomacy in Poland positively. ‘I cannot judge the President’s statement. I assess the activity and the work of the Minister of Foreign Affairs positively’ – added the Prime Minister.

Source: http://pl.delfi.lt/aktualia/litwa/butkevicius-to-byla-pr-woska-akcja-potrzebna-przed-zblizajacymi-sie-wyborami-do-parlamentu-europejskiego.d?id=60664017

Tłumaczenie Barbara Rożek w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Barbara Rożek the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.