Ministry of Foreign Affairs: We regret vandalism. The police: There is no damage

Damaging the media Ogiński bench – a gift from Polish Embassy for Vilnius – is an act of vandalism – representative of Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affair says. The police however convince that till today, it didn’t receive any notification regarding the incident and after verification, it didn’t observe any damages. The local government of the city of Vilnius announces the replacement of the damaged elements.

‘’It’s a highly regrettable act of vandalism, which has to be treated that way and unanimously condemned. As far as we know, the police was informed about the incident and thus we hope that perpetrators will be found during the investigation’’- ministry of foreign affair spokesman Kęstutis Vaškelevičius said during his talk to Znad Wilii Radio.

Znad Wilii Radio turned to the Chief Police Station of the Vilnius District with a question how the investigation regarding the fact of damaging Ogiński bench and finding the perpetrator are going.

‘’We inform that before the information received from you, the Chief Police Station of the Vilnius District did not have any data about the damages of the following bench. After receiving your letter and checking this information, it was established that no signs of damages occurred on the bench’’- the police wrote in their response.

Meanwhile, what can be easily seen on the photos, at the Ogiński bench, placed in January, all symbols identifying the Polish donor has been painted over, including the country’s emblem, embassy’s logo, national colors.

On the other hand, a chief of The Department of the Urban Economy Virginijus Pauža notices that the damages involve not only the bench itself but also boards placed on the bench

There have already been regulations issued in order to remove and replace the boards on which the inscription “Poland” was blurred by a sharp object. There won’t be any boards at the bench for some time until the new ones will be produced’’- Pauža announces.

‘’We treat this fact not only as a property damage but primarily as a xenophobic act aimed against the image of the neighboring, friendly state, the diplomatic institution representing it, and by that, against good Polish-Lithuanian relations’’- says the yesterday’s statement of the Polish Embassy in Vilnius.