POLISH-LITHUANIAN DIALOGUE AT THE END OF THE XX – BEGINNING OF THE XXI CENTURY: CHALLENGES OF THE POLISH NATIONAL MINORITY

Abstract

It is shown that the peculiarities of the development of the Polish-Lithuanian interstate dialogue in the last decade of the 20th century – the first twenty years of the 21st century, in particular, the role of the Polish national minority in Lithuania in the formation and development of relations between the two states. Different perceptions of the common historical and cultural heritage and experience of the Commonwealth of Nations are highlighted. The attempt to create Polish autonomy as part of the Lithuanian state in the late 1980s and early 1990s is considered. The process of Litvinization is confirmed as a response to the actions of the Polish national minority. The issue of the pragmatic development of relations between Lithuania and Poland on the basis of the right to one’s own interpretation of history, the development of legislation regarding national minorities in accordance with European norms was updated.Internal legislative initiatives of the governments of Poland and Lithuania (Polish card, education in preschool and school educational institutions in Lithuanian) and the consequences of their implementation are highlighted. The signs of liberalization in Lithuania’s policy towards the Polish minority, which were visible after 2014 and can be connected with the events that began in Ukraine and the search for a reliable ally in the confrontation with Russia, are analyzed. It is claimed that the Polish minority in Lithuania is one of the best organized Polish communities abroad. The main mouthpiece of Polish national minority needs and demands is the Union of Poles in Lithuania. The issue of the actualization of idea of the intersea and the establishment of Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian cooperation, the experience of the Polish-Lithuanian dialogue for the sake of partnership and good neighborliness are considered.