Milinkevich takes part in special meeting of Lithuanian, Polish MPs :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarusian opposition politician Alyaksandr Milinkevich on Wednesday took part in a special meeting of Lithuanian and Polish MPs held in Warsaw on the anniversary of the Constitution of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that was signed on May 3, 1791.

Also in attendance were Czech, Estonian, German, Hungarian and Latvian MPs and members of the European Parliament.

"For the Belarusians, the May 3 Constitution is part of the joint legacy of our peoples," the press office of the former presidential candidate quoted him as saying at the meeting. "The citizens ruled over the state in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, not the state ruled over the citizens. The present-day Belarusian authorities want to erase the memory about Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth traditions. Soviet textbooks are back to schools, Belarusian-medium instruction is not allowed and architectural and cultural monuments are being destroyed."

Mr. Milinkevich said that the Belarusians wanted their country to be free, democratic and independent and expressed confidence that the country would become such one day.

The May 3 Constitution was signed amid attempts at reform of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. But the attempts came too late and the country was later partitioned in three stages.

In Warsaw, Mr. Milinkevich was scheduled to meet with European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering, Polish leader Lech Kaczynski, as well as with the Polish parliamentary speakers and the foreign and culture ministers.