Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius told Polish-language Lithuanian radio station Radio Znad Wilii that he very much wants to improve relations with Poland, especially economic relations. Mr Butkevičius will pay an official visit to Poland on Tuesday. At a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, he will also discuss issues related to the Polish minority living in Lithuania and building a gas pipeline connecting Warsaw with Klaipeda, Lithuania.

According to current Lithuanian law, Poles living there must use Lithuanian spelling and characters to write their names. Nor can they use Polish names of streets and cities, even in regions with a big concentration of Poles. The new Lithuanian government wants to change the current situation and in December of last year began the legislative process that would allow it to do so.

Poland A.M.