Lithuania invites Belarus state delegation to 1863 uprising leaders' reburial

A Belarusian state delegation was invited to attend the reburial of the 1863 uprising leaders in Vilnius in November, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said after meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Uladzimir Makei during the UN General Assembly in New York City.

The press office of Belarusian Foreign Ministry reports that Makei and Linkevičius discussed the current issues on the bilateral agenda, including matters of concern to both sides. The parties reached an understanding of the necessity to start an open and sincere dialogue to find solutions to pressing problems. The interlocutors discussed the cooperation within international organizations and agreed to continue working contacts shortly.

Euroradio understands that during the meeting in New York City the ministers also touched upon possible supplies of crude oil to Belarus via Lithuania.

Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka on Thursday talked about the diversification of oil supplies at the meeting with Ukrainian journalists in Minsk.

According to the Baltic News Service bns.lt, Linkevičius mentioned Belarus' interest in the participation in the 1863 uprising leaders' reburial. However, Makei did not elaborate during their conversation on how high the level of a Belarusian delegation could be.

Earlier this year, scientists finally concluded that  Zygmunt Sierakouski and Kastus Kalinouski, the leaders of the 1863–1864 uprising, were indeed among the remains unearthed during excavation works at the Gediminas Hill in Vilnius.

Also known as the January Uprising, it was an insurrection principally in Russia′s Kingdom of Poland aimed at the restoration of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last insurgents were captured by the Russian forces in 1864.

In all, archeologists managed to find 20 out of 21 participants of the uprising.

In Belarus, public discussion is underway around the initiative of Belarusian intellectuals suggesting that the remains of Kastus Kalinouski be reburied in Belarus, not in Vilnius. The petition was sent to the Lithuanian parliament.

Lithuania will rebury the remains in a solemn ceremony in November.

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