REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA MEMORANDUM TO THE PARLIAMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC ALLIANCE 12 January 1999 Vilnius Disregarding the irrefutable facts about Lithuania’s occupation in 1940-1990 and the peaceful outcome of the second Soviet occupation, the Russian diplomacy has lately often expressed its opposition to any of the “former Soviet Republics” joining NATO. In this context references is first of all made to the three Baltic States. However, from the point of view of continuity of its sovereignty and from the point of view of international law, Lithuania has never been a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, but only a state occupied in 1940-1990 by two aggressors in succession. Both in the summer of 1920 (until the summer of 1940) and in the autumn of 1991 Lithuania was an independent state recognised by the Soviet Union and not a part of the domain of the USSR under any status. Therefore, the terms “the former Soviet Republic” or “a post-Soviet state” may not be applied to Lithuania which has firmly committed itself to acceding to the North Atlantic Alliance. The Republic of Lithuania, the successor to the State of Lithuania which existed from the 13th century until the end of the 18th century, was restored in 1918 and became a member of the League of Nations in
- Russia relinquished all its former rights and recognised the sovereignty of the State of Lithuania by the Peace Treaty of 12 July 1920; Lithuania did not participated in the formation of the Soviet Union (the USSR) and until 1940 maintained with it relations of good-neighbourliness, enshrined in bilateral international treaties; as early as 1919 Lithuania established diplomatic relations with the neighbouring Latvia; from among other neighbours Germany recognised the State of Lithuania in 1918 and delineated the mutual border by the treaty of 1928; Poland sent its ambassador to Lithuania in
- Diplomatic relations were also established with the USA, Great Britain, France and other countries. On 15 June 1940, however, Lithuania became a victim of the 1939 conspiracy between Stalin and Hitler, which resulted in the occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union. Following the occupation by Germany in 1941-1944, Lithuania was for the second time occupied by the USSR, which imposed on Lithuania its administrative model of “the Soviet Republic”. None of the present member states of NATO had recognised Lithuania’s occupation and incorporation into the USSR. Diplomatic representation of the independent State of Lithuania in the West had been preserved. Liberation struggles, decades-long aspiration for freedom helped the Lithuanian nation to liberate itself once again and to restore again the independent Republic of Lithuania. On 11 March 1990 the freely, democratically elected Parliament of Lithuania adopted legal constitutional acts on the restoration of the independent state and over the subsequent year and a half achieved universal repeated recognition of the restored state and its government. On 6 September 1991 the USSR recognised the State of Lithuania which had regained its independence. Thus even from the point of view of the USSR its map, which by the act of the 1940 aggression had moved to the West, in 1991 shrunk back to the East again. As a result, the border between the USSR and Lithuania extended along the present-day border between Lithuania and Belarus. In September 1991 there were still three months left until the disintegration of the genuine USSR consisting of twelve republics. Both during the formation of the USSR and during its disintegration Lithuania was a foreign state to the Soviet Union. Its unlawful annexation and former temporary incorporation into the USSR was condemned by the Russian Federation in the bilateral Treaty on the Basis for Relations between States of 29 July 1991 (ratification instruments exchanged on 4 May 1992). By this Treaty Russia recognised Lithuania’s right to exercise independently its sovereignty in the sphere of defence and security, and to join a system of collective security of its own choice which Lithuania did by officially applying on 4 January 1994 to the Secretary General of NATO for membership in the Alliance. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania trusts that the parliamentarians of all countries of the North Atlantic Alliance will consistently support Lithuania’s historical and principled position outlined herein. From the point of view of the Soviet Union Lithuania was an independent state recognised by it, then occupied and subsequently recognised again. We are convinced that the Western states will never revise retroactively their lasting consistent policy of non-recognition of Lithuania’s former corporation into the USSR. This issue is beyond dispute. The politicians know the truth, but the nations should not be misinformed either. CHAIRMAN OF THE SEIMAS VYTAUTAS LANDSBERGIS REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA