Lithuania needs reliable neighbor, not dictator - Tsikhanouskaya

VILNIUS - Lithuania needs a reliable neighbor, not a dictator who can burn down his own and his neighbor's houses, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsichanouskaya says.

"Lithuania needs a reliable, predictable, European neighbor, not a dictator who can play with fire and burn down his own and his neighbor's houses," she told the Lithuanian Seimas on Tuesday.

Having started her address in Lithuanian, Tsichanouskaya said she was grateful and touched that the red and white national flag of Belarus flies outside the Lithuanian Seimas building today.

Belarusian opposition representatives are celebrating Freedom Day in Vilnius on Tuesday. The commemoration started with a ceremony to raise the Belarusian flag in front of the Seimas where around 100 people gathered. The ceremony was attended by Lithuanian lawmakers, including First Deputy Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas and Algirdas Sysas, chair of the Seimas Committee on Budget and Finance, both representing the ruling Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, as well as HU-LCD representatives Zygimantas Pavilionis, Emanuelis Zingeris and Daiva Ulbinaite, and ambassadors residing in Lithuania.

CALL FOR INTEGRATION

"Lithuania has always had a principled and consistent position. Even 20 years ago, when most European governments were establishing cooperation groups with the Lukashenko regime, the Lithuanian Seimas created the first group for a democratic Belarus," Tsikhanouskaya said.

Lithuanian MPs have adopted a number of resolutions expressing their full support for the democratic opposition in Belarus and for changes in the neighboring country to ensure free and democratic elections and the release of all political prisoners.

According to the Belarusian opposition leader, Belarusians who stay in Lithuania not only receive aid but also strengthen the Lithuanian society.

"(They) work in business, teach in schools, help in hospitals, pay taxes, create jobs, and contribute more than 100 million euros annually to the Lithuanian budget. We urge the people of Belarus to learn the Lithuanian language, to integrate into the society and, of course, to respect the laws of Lithuania," she said.

LITVINISM COMPLETELY MARGINAL

In her speech, Tsikhanouskaya also assured that Belarusians respect Lithuania's sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemn any weaponization of history.

"Historical revisionism, which is sometimes called Litvinism in Lithuania, is a harmful and hostile phenomenon, but it is completely marginal in Belarusian society. (...). Let us separate historical revisionism from our common history, our past should not divide us, on the contrary, it should unite and strengthen us," she said.

On Monday, Aukse Usiene, an advisor from the Strategic Communication Department of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, said that Litvinism and other similar historical theories about the non-existence of the State of Lithuania were preparatory phases of information warfare.

Some historians and propagandists in both Russia and Belarus claim that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) was Russian, that the Battle of Zalgiris (Grunwald - BNS)was won by the Russians, and the Battle of Orsha was won by the Belarusians, the army representative said.

In her words, even Belarusians fighting against the Lukashenko regime accept his version of history that the GDL was established by the Belarusians, not the Lithuanians.

Lithuania's intelligence services have identified Litvinism as a radical branch of Belarusian chauvinism whose representatives deny the Baltic origin of the dukes who ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and question the fact that the Vilnius region is part of Lithuania.

The Belarusian regime is using Litvinism to foster antagonism between Belarusians settled in Lithuania and the Lithuanian population, the intelligence services say, adding that the spread of such attitudes among members of the Belarusian diaspora would undermine their integration into Lithuanian society and promote the growth of ethnic tensions.

"Our common enemy is Minsk, the dictatorship that has turned Belarus into a prison. Our common enemy is in Moscow, it is Putin's revanchist regime that is trying to rebuild an empire and subjugate our peoples," Tsikhanouskaya underlined.

PASSPORTS TO FOREIGNERS

As BNS reported, in late February, nearly 70 public activists sent a letter to the Lithuanian president, the Foreign Ministry and the members of the Seimas, urging them not to allow the use of the Vytis or any other Lithuanian symbols on "passports" produced by the Belarusian opposition or in any other form and official capacity.

In January, Tsikhanouskaya shares a mock-up of Belarusian "passports" featuring the Lithuanian Vytis-like symbol on social media, thanking the Lithuanian government "for its support and advice".

"Lithuania has a great solution - passports for foreigners. Please simplify and expand the practice of issuing it, and we will move our red passport we planned to issue here to other countries", the Belarusian opposition leader said.

The Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs has stated that such "passports" the Belarusian opposition plans to issue in Lithuania will have no legal force as the authorities will not allocate them numbers.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM LITHUANIAN LEADERS

On Freedom Day, Belarusians have received congratulations from Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Speaker of the Seimas Saulius Skvernelis, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas.

According to the president, Freedom Day symbolizes unwavering determination to fight for freedom. It also serves as a reminder to the international community of the need for consistent support for those who tirelessly pursue their fundamental rights and defend shared human values.

"Lithuanians understand very well the cost of freedom and democracy. We have walked this path ourselves, and we see it as our duty to stand with the people of Belarus in their efforts to build a free, democratic, and pluralistic society. Lithuanians and Belarusians share a centuries-long common history, and our people are bound by a time-tested and genuine friendship," the president’s message reads.

Nauseda emphasized that the fight for freedom is never in vain, and that the courage to stand up for one’s beliefs can inspire change on a global scale. The Lithuanian leader has also previously said that Lukashenko is not a legitimate leader of Belarus.

For his part, Prime Minister Paluckas Lithuania believes in the freedom of Belarus and firmly supports its people on their path to democracy.

"We know that no force can suppress freedom indefinitely - sooner or later, it will prevail over oppression. Today, we once again call on the illegitimate leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, to release and rehabilitate all political prisoners - people whose only 'crime' is their love for their country and pursuit of truth," the prime minister said and emphasized the need to bring to justice those responsible for crimes against humanity and for Belarus's involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Belarusian Freedom Day commemoration is scheduled to end with a rally in Lukiskes Square, followed by a march to the Belarusian Embassy.

Belarus itself does not officially celebrate Freedom Day on 25 March. The Democratic Republic of Belarus was proclaimed on this day in 1918, but remained in existence until the Bolsheviks took power in early 1919.

The Lukashenko regime prohibits the celebration of this day in Belarus and does not recognize it. In Belarus, Independence Day is celebrated on July 3, the day in 1944 when Nazi German troops withdrew from Minsk and Soviet troops took it over.