Lithuanian Parliament Seimas condemned attempts by the Russian Federation to rewrite history

The Seimas strictly condemned the moves by the State Duma of the Russian Federation towards rewriting history and challenging the foundations of modern civilisation and international law.

‘On 11 June 2020, the Committee on International Affairs of the State Duma of the Russian Federation requested other committees to submit proposals for a draft law initiated by Aleksei Zhuravlev, Member of the State Duma, which would declare invalid on the territory of the Russian Federation the Resolution of the Congress of People’s Deputies of 24 December 1989 on the Political and Legal Assessment of the 1939 Soviet-German Non-Aggression Treaty. By this Resolution, the Soviet Union condemned the secret protocols to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and pronounced them null and void, as well as recognised that it committed aggression against third countries, including the Baltic States,’ the Resolution adopted by the Seimas reads.

Herein the Seimas notes that the moves by the State Duma of the Russian Federation towards revoking the above-mentioned Resolution of the Congress of People’s Deputies of the USSR would rehabilitate both the Soviet and Nazi totalitarian regimes by denying their international crimes committed in connection with the conclusion and implementation of the secret protocols to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

‘The systematic moves towards historical revisionism by the State Duma of the Russian Federation are intended to justify the current aggressive policy towards, and aggression against, its neighbours by the Russian Federation, to call into question the statehood of neighbouring countries on the basis of the concepts of ‘the near abroad’, ‘the Russian world’ and ‘protection of compatriots’, to promote distrust among the Western community, to divide the European Union and NATO, and to engage in confrontation with the West for the coming decades,’ the Resolution states.

The Seimas obliged the Speaker of the Seimas, in his capacity as a member of the State Defence Council, to propose that the above mentioned moves by the State Duma of the Russian Federation be considered at a meeting of the State Defence Council. Additionally, the Seimas called on the international community to condemn and prevent violations of international law and attempts to challenge the foundations of modern civilisation and international law by the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

The Resolution (draft No XIIIP-4995) thereon was adopted unanimously by 106 votes in favour. The document was initiated by Emanuelis Zingeris, Member of the Seimas Committees on European Affairs and on Foreign Affairs, and Juozas Bernatonis, Chair of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Source: Press release Seimas