2023-05-05 03:03:15
MEP Waldemars Tomaszewskis and Stanislaw Pieszko, a politician from Šalčininkai who doubted Lithuania’s independence at its dawn, received “Honour marks for services to the Polish diaspora” from the head of the Polish government in Vilnius.
W. Tomaszewski’s political opponents criticize him for his attitude towards Russia and Belarus, while S. Pieszko was associated with the pro-Soviet “Jedinstvo” organization and did not vote for Lithuanian independence on March 11, 1990.
Polish Prime Minister awards W. Tomaszewski. Photo by TVP Wilno.
15min According to information, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis raised the issue of the award of these two persons after meeting with the new Polish ambassador in Vilnius, Konstanty Radziwill, on Thursday.
“The minister raised the issue of awards in a meeting with the ambassador,” 15min said a diplomatic source briefed on the content of the conversation.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania refrained from public protest – this topic is not mentioned in the press release issued on Thursday about the meeting between the minister and the ambassador.
What was awarded by the Prime Minister of Poland
W. Tomaszewskis is a long-time leader of the Lithuanian Polish election campaign – Union of Christian Families.
After Russia attacked Ukraine, he immediately condemned Moscow’s aggression, and his party declares that it supports Lithuania’s Euro-Atlantic direction.
However, in the eyes of critics, W. Tomaszewski’s long-term activity and repeated ambiguous statements about Ukraine show that the politician is not inclined to join the anti-Putin front.
In 2014, W. Tomaszewskis made headlines when he publicly wore the Georgian ribbon on May 9 to commemorate the Soviet victory over the Nazis.
His political partnership with the Russian Alliance and criticism of the Lithuanian authorities for supporting the democratic Belarusian opposition also received controversial assessments.
In recent years, he criticized the banning of Russian channels, and when talking about the annexation of Crimea, he mentioned the analogy of Kosovo.
S. Pieszko was one of the founders of Polish autonomy in the Vilnius region, he was active in the “Jedinstvo” organization, which opposed the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania.
As a deputy of the Supreme Council, he abstained from voting for the restoration of independence on March 11, 1990. Now he is a member of the board of the Center of the Polish Union of Lithuania. He is now 82 years old.
W. Tomaszewski factor
Warsaw’s relations with the election campaign of Lithuanian Poles have been one of the sources of tension in bilateral relations for several decades.
The Polish government firmly supports its diaspora, and the political force of W. Tomaszewski was popular among Lithuanian Poles for many years and dominated the Vilnius region. The Polish government often supported the party’s demands for the rights of the Polish national minority.
The Lithuanian authorities have repeatedly complained that W. Tomaszewskis and his comrades present a distorted picture of the situation of the Poles in Lithuania to Warsaw.
However, in recent years, there have been almost no public disagreements in the bilateral relations between Lithuania and Poland. This was also helped by the law passed in Lithuania last year, which makes it possible for Poles to write their surnames in Polish characters in their passports.
Political scientist Margarita Šešelgytė says that the behavior of the Polish Prime Minister can be seen as a political short-sightedness, but it probably will not fundamentally affect bilateral relations.
“The awarding of these politicians with alleged links to the Russian regime is a political eyesore. The question should be raised as to why this happened,” she said.
However, she emphasized that in today’s security situation, the relationship between Lithuania and Poland “is particularly important, so it is likely that this flashback will not significantly affect bilateral relations”.
Criticism in the Polish press
M. Morawiecki’s deed did not go unnoticed in Poland either.
The right-wing online portal niezalezna.pl strongly criticized M. Morawiecki because “the group of laureates was limited to people who are perceived as more or less pro-Russian.”
“They have been – in one way or another – guardians of Moscow’s influence in the Polish community of Lithuania for many years. This not only distorts the image of our compatriots, but is also unfavorable in all respects in today’s circumstances,” writes journalist Katarzyna Gojska.
“To juxtapose Prime Minister Morawiecki with these figures – intentionally or unintentionally, it is difficult to decide now – means to put him in an uncomfortable position to say the least, also because of his relations with Lithuania. And those responsible for maneuvering the head of the Polish government into this holiday deserve praise. Only not in Warsaw, but in Moscow,” she said.
A. Pukszto: The Polish Prime Minister was stabbed
Explain the situation 15min asked Vytautas Magnus University professor Andrzej Pukszt.
– Professor, why did the Polish Prime Minister award these persons and how should it be assessed?
– First of all, it is worth noting that this is not the highest ranking award given by presidential decree. This is a new award from the Polish Prime Minister’s Office, which honors deserving Poles living outside Poland.
Personal album photo/Andrzejus Pukszto
Probably, someone from the advisors responsible for relations with the emigrants, framed the prime minister. In Poland itself, the anti-Putin wave has now risen very high, and everyone who has at least some shadow about their attitude towards the Kremlin has no chance in the ruling elite of Poland.
– How would you describe S. Pieszko and W. Tomaszewski?
– S. Pieszko does not say much to young people, but those who are over 40 remember that he was the deputy of the Supreme Council-Restorative Seimas who abstained from voting for the independence of Lithuania.
He publicly questioned Lithuania’s independence, advocated the preservation of the Soviet Union, and collaborated with the “Jedinstvo” movement. There weren’t many Poles in it, but he was the one who appeared among the unitists.
As for W. Tomaszewski, it is worth remembering that since 2020 he has questioned the policy of Lithuania and Poland towards Belarus after the last presidential election, said that there is no need to “raise revolutions”, that Lithuania should not support opposition forces.
Irmantos Gelūnos/BNS photo/Waldemar Tomaszewskis
Regarding Ukraine, he behaved restrained and passive, criticizing Lithuania’s decision to suspend pro-Kremlin Russian TV channels. This had a great impact in Poland, because Poland is strongly fighting the Kremlin’s propaganda, the establishment of a Polish TV branch in Vilnius is part of a broad anti-Putin front. On that front, W. Tomaszeskis was missed – he lacked support as a member of the European Parliament, as the head of the Polish party and the Polish union.
It cannot be said that he spoke pro-Putin, but it was a passivity that went too far.
Apparently, there are those in the Prime Minister’s circle who believe that W. Tomaszewski and S. Pieszko are fighters for Polishness. The alleged patriotism of Poles in the national sense of supporting compatriots took precedence over wider politics.
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