Lithuanian lawmaker wants Kaliningrad returned to EU
Posted by Ken Hanly
Linas Balsys, a Lithuanian lawmaker suggests
that the European Union should be seriously considering how it can take back
the small region of Kaliningrad that is now part of Russia and "return" it to
Europe.
his
views known at a conference: "The World in 2017: The view from Vilnius". Vilnius
is the capital of Lithuania. He said that Russia had lost its legal right to the
Kaliningrad Region after it annexed Crimea. He said now the status of the
Kaliningrad Region (oblast) that was formerly known as East Prussia needed to be
discussed at the international level.
At the conference Balsys said: "Time has run out
for Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad was not given to Russia in perpetuity, either at
the Potsdam Conference or at Helsinki. It was [only] said that the region would
be put under Soviet administration until a final European peace agreement is
signed." He suggested that now there should be discussions as to how the
territory could be returned to Europe. Another Lithuanian lawmaker Laurynas
Kasciunas, made a similar proposal.
At the end of the second World War in 1945, the
city of Kaliningrad and the surrounding area became part of the Soviet Union as
agreed upon by Allies at the Potsdam Conference until territorial questions were
answered at a peace settlement. The final status of the region was agreed by the
Allied Control Council in Germany through the agreement 'On the Liquidation of
the Prussian State' on February 25, 1947. Jurisdiction was turned over to the
USSR. The borders of Kaliningrad were agreed upon at the Helsinki Accords:
Helsinki Declaration was the final act of
the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe held in Finlandia Hall
of Helsinki, Finland, during July and August 1, 1975. Thirty-five states,
including the USA, Canada and all European states except Albania and Andorra,
signed the declaration in an attempt to improve relations between the
Communist bloc and the West. The Helsinki Accords, however, were not binding
as they did not have treaty status.[1]
Vladimir Olenchenko, of the Institute of World
Economy and International Relations' Center for European Studies noted that
Balsys remarks should be taken seriously by the Lithuanians themselves. He noted
that the borders established by the Helsinki Accords have mostly held with a few
exceptions, even after the USSR, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia broke up into
constituent independent republics in the early 1990's. He said: "If we look at
the Act of Lithuanian Independence of 1991, it includes five or six lines where
Lithuania confirms its commitment to the Helsinki Accords, declaring them as the
basis for their independence." If Lithuania brings into question the Helsinki
Accords as Balsys does, it could face demands from neighboring Poland which had
controlled the Vilnius region during the interwar period. Bringing up the issue
could be detrimental to Lithuania's own interest.
Kaliningrad used to be called Konigsberg when it
was East Prussia part of Germany. The philosopher Immanuel Kant was born and
spent his life in Konigsberg. Since the early nineties Kaliningrad has been a
Free Economic Zone. It has a vibrant industrial base plus a great deal of
smuggling activity. One in three televisions in Russia is built in Kaliningrad.
Lithuania is planning to build a huge fence along the border to stop smuggling
and for security reasons. Kaliningrad is highly militarized and Russia has sent
missiles to the exclave in response to NATO buildups and the U.S. missile
defense system.
Crimea joined Russia in March 2014 after a
referendum in which it was claimed that over 96 percent of Crimeans voted to
rejoin Russia with an 80 percent turnout. The vote was widely criticized in the
west. No mention was made by Balsys of a referendum and it is not clear if
Kaliningrad would become part of Germany again or become independent.
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