Press release, 14 February 2019
The Assembly of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the Sejm and the Senate of the Republic of Poland concluded its 20th session in Warsaw with the adoption of the final document in the form of a Declaration.
The Declaration expresses satisfaction with the increased political dialogue between Lithuania and Poland, both at bilateral and international levels as well as at the level of regional organisations, commends the dynamism of inter-parliamentary cooperation, and stresses the importance of its further development.
The parliamentarians underline their joint political will to implement all the provisions of the Agreement between the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Poland on Friendly Relations and Good Neighbourly Cooperation. They equally expresses satisfaction with the renewed constructive cooperation in improving the educational conditions for the Polish minority in Lithuania and for the Lithuanian minority in Poland; and stress the desire of both parties to respect the rights of national minorities, while safeguarding their culture, education and language.
The Lithuanian and Polish MPs express their satisfaction with the cooperation between the two countries in implementing joint energy and trans-European transport projects, the successful economic, infrastructural, cultural and scientific cooperation as well as good cross-border cooperation.
At the same time, the Declaration underlines the need for Europe to diversify the sources of supply of raw materials for energy production, to protect consumers from unfair practices by a dominant gas supplier, and to complete the Energy Union based on uniform and transparent rules for all market participants.
The declaration goes on to focus on the emerging common challenges and threats, security matters, and the Eastern Partnership. In particular, it highlights the importance of sustainable security cooperation between the two sides and the threat of hybrid warfare posed by the Russian Federation to international stability and security worldwide.
The Assembly notes that Lithuania and Poland have a shared understanding of challenges and threats posed by the confrontational policy pursued by the Russian Federation and aimed at Western European and Eastern Partnership countries, in particular Ukraine and Georgia.
The Declaration expresses solidarity with Ukraine and supports its sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognised borders, the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Ukraine, the need to reinforce Ukraine’s relations with the European Union and NATO, and the implementation of an ambitious reform programme aimed at Ukraine’s modernisation.
The document adopted by Members of Parliaments of Lithuania and Poland calls on the Russian Federation to immediately release the seamen of Ukraine who have been detained and imprisoned in violation of the principles of international law, and to fulfil the obligations under the Minsk Agreements with a view to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict.