Vilnius. The opening of an exhibition on the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the Parliamentarism of the Republic. "We are united by a strategic alliance, with a sense of common challenges."

December 20, 2018
10:43 am

Five and a half centuries since the first bicameral Sejm in Piotrkow - one of the most important anniversaries for Polish social and political life has fallen on 2018. At the same time, the 550th anniversary is also linked to our centuries-old ally with whom we formed a single state for several hundred years. Wednesday's visit of Sejm Speaker Marek Kuchcinski to Vilnius was marked by the common history, traditions and ties that unite the two nations, while the exhibition "Poland. Traditions of Parliamentarism until 1791," which opened at the Seimas, is the best proof of this.

- I would like to recall the date of July 1, 1569 - the day the Union of Lublin was concluded. It shaped the international and domestic order, unprecedented, centuries ahead of the modern model of integration. A watershed moment in the development of European democracy. The state organisms united then gave birth to a new parliamentary system in Europe. The Act of the Union of Lublin was inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Program's World List in 2018. This was the result of our joint effort, as Poland, Lithuania, as well as Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine jointly sought to have the document inscribed," Marshal Kuchcinski said during the inauguration of the exhibition.

The exhibition takes a closer look at key events in the development of parliamentarism from the period covering the 14th-18th centuries.The author of the original concept of the exhibition is MP Ewa Tomaszewska.

In 2019, we will celebrate the 450th Anniversary of the Union of Lublin. It is the basis of the brotherly Polish-Lithuanian relations centuries ago. Today, this strength and power bears fruit in the support we give each other as we cooperate in the region, in the European Union and in the North Atlantic Alliance. For the sake of our peoples, we are united by a strategic alliance, with a sense of common challenges and threats that are once again hovering over the European continent," assessed Marek Kuchcinski.

In turn, the chairman of the Lithuanian Seimas, Prof. Viktoras Pranckietis, stressed that Warsaw and Vilnius have a great deal in common, even the same name of national representation. - We celebrated the centenaries of the rebirth of our countries in the special year that was ending, and we celebrated them together. Poland is our strategic partner in the region with whom we have exceptionally close ties.

During a press conference between the two politicians, the Speaker of the Seimas was asked about the announced Parliamentary Assembly of Poland and Lithuania. - It is difficult to rebuild people-to-people ties - including inter-parliamentary ties - when they have been dismantled and torn down for a couple of generations. However, we are making very rapid progress. The rapidly changing political and social times around the world, as well as in Europe, are forcing us to accelerate these relationships. We are prepared to launch the Parliamentary Assembly," Marek Kuchcinski noted.

The visit to Vilnius began with laying a wreath at the Mausoleum of Mother and Son's Heart on Rossa. Maria Pilsudska rests there, next to which the heart of her son Jozef is deposited in a crystal urn.
The delegation also visited an exhibition at the National Museum - Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania dedicated to Adam Mickiewicz.

During the visit, the Polish side, in addition to the Speaker of the Sejm, was represented by the head of the Chancellery, Agnieszka Kaczmarska, and MPs Ewa Tomaszewska, Grzegorz Janik, Tadeusz Aziewicz, Bartosz Józwiak.

text CIS/ sejm.gov.pl