Minister Sikorski: We are waiting for hard facts as regards Polish minority issue

“Polish-Lithuanian relations will improve if Lithuania fulfils its obligations resulting from the Polish-Lithuanian treaty signed in 1994,” said Radosław Sikorski, the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the pages of the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza. He also said that the change within Lithuania’s ruling coalition has a significant influence on the improvement of the relations.

“In the current situation a return to the former cordial relations between the countries is most conceivable. It is necessary that Vilnius should fulfil the obligations set out in the Polish-Lithuanian treaty signed 20 years ago and fulfil the former promises,” stressed Minister Sikorski.

The Polish Foreign Minister said that Poland would support Lithuania during its presidency over the European Union.

“However, we are waiting for hard facts as regards the issue of the Polish minority in Lithuania. We do not expect anything unusual. We only want Poles to be treated in accordance with European standards,” added Minister Sikorski.

“In Lithuania this is a paradoxical situation because in no other country apart from Poland there are so many Polish schools. Also, Poles share political power with Lithuanians in the latter’s country. (…) However, it is trend that counts. If Polish-Lithuanian relations improve instead of turning for the worse, I will be the first one to invest in Poland’s friendship with Lithuania,” said Minister Sikorski.

According to Sikorski, the demands for introducing bilingual names of streets or towns, or the original spelling of surnames in official documents, are not excessive.

“Recently, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister deplored that in 2010 the problem of the spelling of surnames was not solved. We hope that we will succeed on the second attempt,” emphasized Minister Sikorski.

www.l24.lt

Source: http://l24.lt/pl/polityka/item/11274-sikorski-w-sprawie-polskiej-mniejszosci-czekamy-na-konkrety

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