Medal Schumana dla Vytautasa Landsbergisa

13 grudnia 2005 przewodniczący frakcji EPP- ED Hans-Gert Poettering uhonorował Vytautasa Landsbergisa byłego Prezydenta Litwy, a obecnie posła do Parlamentu Europejskiego medalem Schumana. Jest to nagroda przyznawana przez frakcję EPP- ED za szczególne zasługi dla integracji europejskiej.

Poniżej publikujemy wystąpienie Vytautasa Landsbergisa wygłoszone podczas spotkania na którym laureatowi została wręczona nagroda.

European Parliament

Strasbourg

2005-12-13

The Robert Schuman Medal Award Ceremony

Address by Vytautas Landsbergis to EPP-EDGroup

 /Towards dependency.  Economical and moral/

EU-Russia relations are developing faster and faster. Thus it is time to ask: towards what?

Russian media, being turned practically governmental, now responds openly and joyfully: after we tighten and increase our common gas business, „they“ will keep silent about human rights! This is to be learned from now on, and „they“ are we, Europeans.

President V.Putin expressed this stance in more sophisticated way: "from now we will provide independent policy". That meant essentially the same: go to hell, you Europeans, with your damned human rights and freedoms. No more questions on that I dislike. But "you have to listen us!"

Perhaps prosperity justifies limiting our freedom of expression? Certainly, not on full scale, only concerning some things: your values, beliefs and concerned criticism of any wrongdoing. Those matters, if touched yet sometimes in talks between EU and Russia, are becoming more and more marginal anyway.

So, towards increasing dependency. Economical and moral. Hopes about a possible europeisation of Russia, this former stalinist „bulwark of people“, should be forgotten. We are moving towards gas and oil bulwark of rich leaders. To embrace and to be embraced by a giant which sometimes looks more Asian than Turkey. It is not speaking about race or nationality, God save us, but about spirituality. The Turks are believers. John Paul II told all of us, while speaking to Moslems, that our common Father is one. Russia, frustrated after heavy disease called Communism, suffers from both mental and emotional neglection of human rights which are based on Christianity, and from complete lack of compassion to a weaker plus zero tolerance to those disobedient. Normally, the latter have to be killed or, at least, deprived of property and imprisoned. From this point of view, official Russia is not Europe yet but Asia of nomadic times.

Is there a chance to get Russia‘s support, this way maybe healing Western concerns about Iran - one more totalitarian and terrorism-supporting state in the Middle East, which is so passionately striving to obtain nucs? Forget it. Our „strategic partner“ Russia has more partners and more strategic ones. Don‘t forget Orwell. Don‘t forget him while reading the recent London summit mantra: two leaders or maybe two multinational entities „want to put aside their differences“. The first among them to be differences of basic humanitarian ideas and moral principles rooted in a culture. Put it aside, please. Business is more important.

One could say here: stop, we have signed four common spaces with Russia, and among them there is the space of freedom, justice etc. Yeah, signed, that is the case. The signature affirming common border with EU could be taken back any moment, especially, if there was an EU member-state of second rank, as Russians suppose, meaningly Estonia. One more signature, which from under the Peace Treaty with Chechen Republic Ichkerya (what was signed in 1997 by two presidents B.Yeltsin and A. Maskhadov) was taken roughly back after getting the second colonial Chechen war against bad guys better-prepared. The only problem what remained there in five bloody years, was to kill that signatory, Maskhadov. All this is not the Europe of 21st century, at least. Europe, as we know, is not bombing the cities and villages of separatists. Europe is not going to re-governmentalize its great energy companies and, by the way, all media companies as normal part of state-owned energy companies. Therefore, if we are serious people and politicians, the space of common values in the sphere of human rights and freedoms is to be achieved yet. As Russia is too big and immobile for such effort, our old Europe will approach unilaterally, sooner and politely, while it's de-graduating values proceed natural erosion. The convergence in immorality was recently presented at highest levels in Germany. A big signature for good money.

The same about common fight against abstract terrorism, not terrorist organisations and states. Did you see Russia anytime fighting Red Brigades, AUM Shinrikyo, Saddam, Al-Qaida or ayatholas? Of course, never. The homeland of „red terror“ with uncountable unpunished crimes and traces of blood from Lithuania to the Caucasus will now help us to stop Iran and North Korea terrorising the world. Really? Stop kidding. The more Westerners are so easily confused and feel happy being confused, the more I feel myself, as a politician, different. I come from where we, many European nations, were left for long decades to the mercy of evil. Therefore, we have something to say to you, our brothers.

We have been taught by our destiny. We know how it feels to be warmly embraced by a big bloody and excitingly roaring bear. Roaring about peace and love, naturally.

You have not been yet there. But as you are deciding force now, please, go and get instructed by your own destiny.

What I could suggest before the end of my remarks, please, realize there never occured the First, Second, Cold and terrorist wars but always one continued war against democracies with pauses needed to change the weaponry, the strategy and tactics.

Sorry, I hope you will forgive me sometimes bitter rhetorics. I know well, as you also, sisters and brothers, that from now we will share our common European destiny. Therefore the lack of solidarity among European nations looks so much unwise.

            Sorry again, and Merry Christmas!