Right Decisions of Politicians Serve Well Nations

Mateusz Morawiecki, the Prime Minister of the Polish government arrived in Lithuania for a one-day visit on Saturday, April 5th. Mr. Morawiecki accompanied by the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Saulius Skvernelis visited Polish airmen in Šiauliai, then both took part in the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the Polish President Lech Kaczyński at the Mazeikiai refinery, which is owned by PKN Orlen. 

“Mazeikiai is a living monument of President Lech Kaczynski. Today, not only does the Mazeikiai oil refinery connect our countries’ economies but also create good prospects for the future,’’ said Mr. Morawiecki during the ceremony.

The head of the Polish government began his visit to Lithuania by meeting with Polish soldiers of the Military Contingent “Orlik”, who have been stationed at the Šiauliai base as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. The Polish Air Force has taken over the command of the mission for the 8th time to protect the Baltic airspace since Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not possess fighter aircrafts of their own. The mission begun in 2004 with the accession of the three Baltic states to the Alliance. Countries of the Alliance deploy their planes for four-month shifts.

The Prime Ministers also took part in the unveiling ceremony of the plaque commemorating the late President of the Republic of Poland, prof. Lech Kaczyński. 

Mr. Morawiecki expressed his gratitude for the unveiling of the monument and the memory of President Lech Kaczyński that is being nurtured in Lithuania. “President Lech Kaczyński knew that we must build a common history, despite some divergences and difficulties that occur. We have to build a common future and overcome grievances from the past. Furthermore, the most important monuments are the living ones. Mazeikiai is a living monument of President Lech Kaczyński. Today, not only does the Mazeikiai oil refinery connect our countries’ economies but also create good prospects for the future and for gaining independence from insecure energy sources, from uncertain neighbours. We owe all of that to President Lech Kaczyński,” said the head of the Polish government.

Mr. Morawiecki also highlighted the importance of pursuing the direction of policy taken by President Kaczyński, which was based on strong pragmatism and, at the same time, on the realities in which Poland and Lithuania operate. “And just as Lech Kaczyński was building Solidarity (Polish: Solidarność; Polish trade union, TN), free Poland, and then as the president, he was creating a platform for cooperation between the Lithuanian and Polish nations, today, we want to continue the most important works that we have inherited from him, in the spirit of cooperation with Lithuania,” added the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. 

“Human’s works are the best witnesses of himself or herself,” said Saulius Skvernelis during the ceremony. 

The Lithuanian Prime Minister pointed out that in Lithuania President Lech Kaczyński is remembered as an outstanding strategist who took the right direction in Polish-Lithuanian relations. “We can not underestimate his perceptiveness and strategic skills. This refinery proves that the right decisions, taken at the right time, serve nations for many years, while decisions that are not made at the right time, bring heavy losses,” emphasized the Prime Minister of Lithuania.

“I am glad that together with the government of the Republic of Poland, we can say that the current state of relations between our countries is the one that President Kaczyński was dreaming of and was creating. Poland and Lithuania are strategic partners. I am glad that we act together and share a common stance in the European Union. We face geopolitical challenges together and undertake strategic projects of  great importance,” said Saulius Skvernelis.

Mr. Skvernelis emphasized that in the future, the care of these relations should be a duty of all politicians in both Poland and Lithuania since our common history obligates us to it. “We were strong when Poland and Lithuania were together. When one tried to bring some confusion between our nations, we were losing. Today, we are stronger than ever before,” stressed the Prime Minister of Lithuania.

At the end of the visit, both Prime Ministers laid flowers at the foot of the Monument to the Narutowicz brothers in Rennow, in the Mazeikiai district. The monument was created in 2018 as part of the 100^th anniversary of regaining independence by Poland and Lithuania, at the palace where Stanisław and Gabriel Narutowicz, a signatory of the 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania and the first president of a reborn Poland, spent their childhood.