Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas: "Forces hostile to Lithuania attempt to undermine the importance of locating the Act of Independence"

Press release, 3 April 2017

Photo of the Office of the Seimas (author Džoja Gunda Barysaitė)

Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Prof. Liudas Mažylis from Vytautas Magnus University, who has found the Act of Independence of Lithuania in the Political Archive of the German Federal Foreign Office. The Speaker of the Seimas said that forces hostile to Lithuania attempt to undermine the fact, but this kind of propaganda does not affect Lithuanian citizens.

“Before the restoration of Lithuania’s independence, the occupying authorities tried to convince us that any independence act had never existed. However, our faith was stronger. Today we can see that the Act does exist. This is the most wonderful news and a gift for Lithuania that will prevent the forces hostile to Lithuania from undermining this fact,” Mr Pranckietis said. He believes that propaganda media today contains plenty of publications downplaying the fact of the existence of the Act of Independence, as well as a feeling of civic triumph as Prof. Mažylis announced having found the Act in Germany.

During the meeting, the Speaker of the Seimas handed in a Lithuanian tricolour flag to Prof. Mažylis saying that “the Professor had already hoisted the flag in our hearts and it was time for him to receive it as a gift from us.”

Prof. Mažylis from Vytautas Magnus University, who has found the Act of Independence of Lithuania of 16 February 1918 in the Political Archive of the German Federal Foreign Office, is going to be awarded with a Special National Science Prize. The Speaker of the Seimas observed that the Special National Science Prize would be awarded for the first time in the history of Lithuania. Mr Pranckietis would like Prof. Mažylis to be honoured by the Prize awarding it in the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

Dalia Vencevičienė, Senior Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6016, mob. +370 698 42 071, e-mail: [email protected]