Lukashenka not to visit Lithuania

The Belarusian ruler refused to visit Vilnius to take part in celebration of the 20th anniversary of restoration of Lithuania’s independence.

An official delegation of Belarus at the festivities on occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Reestablishment of Independence of Lithuania will be headed not by Alyaksandr Lukashenka but by deputy prime minister of Viktar Bura.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka informed President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite about his decision.

As official news agency BelTA reports, Lukashenka thanked for the invitation and confirmed his invitation of the Lithuania’s head to visit Belarus.

As charter97.org has already reported, the Seimas of Lithuania invited Stanislau Shushkevich, the first head of independent Belarus, former chairman of the Supreme Council, to celebration of the 20th anniversary of Lithuania’s independence.

We remind that on March 11, 2010, Lithuania marks the twentieth anniversary since the Act on the Reestablishment of the State of Lithuania was adopted. Lithuania celebrates the 750th anniversary of the Battle of Durbe on July 13, 2010, and the 600th anniversary of Battle of Grunwald on July 15.

We remind that Lukashenka visited Vilnius in September 2009. International and Belarusian human rights organizations criticized the meeting between president of Lithuania and the last dictator of Europe, as the Belarusian oppositions suffers from harsh repressions, Belarus has political prisoners, freedom of speech is being suppressed, election results are being rigged.