"The Russian opinion of the June 1940 events is known. It stays unchanged. There are no grounds whatever to demand compensations from the Russian Federation. The international opinion is also known of retrospect claims which, when advanced, may badly hamper the progress of foreign relations-even on a global scale.
"As Lithuania assumes, it is entitled to reparations just as European countries who had suffered from nazi Germany. The nazi regime unleashed an aggressive war in Europe, while the Soviet Union rescued the world from nazism. We Russians see attempts to treat the one on a par with the other as downright blasphemy.
"We hope a trend will take the upper hand in Vilnius to base its current policies not on ideologically biased interpretations of history but on goodwill to join hands for the progress of equal and mutually beneficial Lithuanian-Russian contacts, which will be clean of stale stereotypes," says the statement.
Ministerial PR say Moscow was glad to hear another statement of President Adamkus-as he reassured, he firmly intends to base his country's relations with Russia on mutual benefit and respect, equality, openness and confidence.
"Russia fully shares his approach. It has always pronounced and worked for an ever closer dialogue with Lithuania in just that vein," the statement emphasises.
