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What do you think about the statements made in Vilnius by representatives of the opposition of Belarus who demanded that Lithuania and Poland should terminate any relationships with the current government of Belarus, that supposedly being the only way to demonstrate support for democracy in Belarus?

– I believe these are emotional statements. Those who speak realise themselves that this will not and cannot happen. Perhaps I would say the same if I were part of the opposition and each day felt the breath of the regime on my back. I that case I would also be less restrained. One can, therefore, understand the members of the opposition of Belarus. On the other hand, the regime of Belarus receives excellent coverage. The entire Western world watches the developments in Belarus. In this light, the representatives of the opposition in Belarus are relatively safer than in other authoritarian states or conflicts forgotten by the world, where people are killed daily. Their frustration is clear; their suggestions, however, are unrealistic. So far, sanctions on Belarus have not been effective because the common customs area being created in Russia allows many economic sanctions to be avoided. Something more is needed. Unfortunately, no common information policy has so far been developed to communicate with the opposition in Belarus and provide information to the society there.

Polish Foreign Minister RadoslawSikorski has not visited Vilnius, as if patently keeping his promise not to show up in Vilnius until the requirements of Lithuanian Poles have been met. Recently in a letter to Andrius Kubilius, DonaldTusk also stated that he saw no sense in forming bilateral commissions of experts and searching for compromises. The discontinuation of the participation of the Poles in the Visaginas nuclear power plant project does nothing to increase enthusiasm either. Does this indicate the absence of any ray of hope for the improvement of bilateral relations in the immediate future?

– There are always possibilities to throw out ungrounded accusations. Nonetheless, I am always surprised at the reoccurring processes reminiscent of the history of the Soviet Union. It is believed that something can be achieved by using pressure to influence our domestic policy. If the Soviet Union, Russia, failed to do this, nobody can succeed. We are a long-established country with deep traditions of statehood, and we will definitely not grant any unreasonable concessions as long as we can resist doing that. The fact that tension has appeared is not the fault of Vilnius or a deliberate willingness to aggravate relations. I have the feeling that our partners have got themselves in a corner and it will be very difficult for them to find a way out. On the other hand, our government has said very clearly: we ourselves will solve various issues with our citizens, regardless of them being ethnic minorities or not. We do not need a big brother. This is a calm and dignified position.

Nonetheless, the tension in the highest political echelons might eventually transfer to ordinary people. What do you think about the results of surveys showing that society is growing increasingly intolerant towards Poles? Doesn’t the game of political ambitions damage the long-term processes in society per se?

– I am an optimist; I believe in the saying that the social memory of citizens or nations is short. I believe that the rhetoric will change, more benevolence and willingness to listen will appear, and trust will return. Currently the media and the Internet provide more opportunities to multiply the negative in a geometrical progression. The rhetoric that we hear every day elicits a response from people, though an inappropriate one.

Certain signs of tension have even recently appeared in our relations with the Latvians: not just because of the bankruptcy of Snoras, but also due to the slap in the face by the Latvian Ministry of Energy when they blocked the EU decision on synchronisation of electricity networks. Is everything OK in our interaction with the Latvians?

– If we take any other state and its relations with its neighbours, we will see that Lithuania is no exception. All the neighbours in our area have problems with their neighbours. I was however gladdened by the reaction of the Latvian Prime Minister ValdisDombrovskis to the possible retreat of Poland from the Visaginas nuclear power plant project, when he confirmed the backing of the Latvians for this project. This shows that understanding on a national level and the understanding of vital interests of the states remains. We do not oppose having a liquefied gas terminal in the Baltic States that would be funded by EU funds. We have said that we will back Latvia and will not attempt to secure the share of EU funds possibly allocated to this project. But we also need a fast, small and effective terminal since we are currently paying the highest price in Europe for Russian gas.