Polish-Lithuanian row grows worse

http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2011/04/poland-lithuania

Poland and Lithuania have been at odds with each other, especially in the past six-eight months. Historical tensions between the two countries have kept relations icy since Lithuania regained independence with the fall of the Soviet Union and the issue now is the treatment of minorities. Lithuania, as an EU member, has to uphold a certain standard of treatment for minority populations, most notably its large Polish population centered in/around Vilnius. The Polish minority claims that they are receiving unfair treatment, especially over the inability to spell their names using Polish letters. This seems like a trivial issue to outsiders but to Poles and Lithuanians its a major point of contention. Poles see their inability to spell their names in proper Polish orthography (Lithuanian is the only recognized language) as a domineering Lithuanian stance. Lithuania would have to change its constitution to allow this change and that seems right out to them; the efforts by Poland and Polish Lithuanians to change these seems like bullying from their larger neighbor that ties into the history of antagonism between the two groups. The row between these two countries has led to Poland seeking closer ties with other neighbors and they are seeking to sell an oil-refinery that they owned in Lithuania as well as cancelling plans to build a power plant that would serve these two countries and the other Baltic states.

Cullen
Ryan@11