Vygaudas Usackas with a foreword by Dr. Vytautas Bieliauskas

Linking Russia with New Europe

Vygaudas Usackas is deputy foreign minister of Lithuania. Dr. Vytautas Bieliauskas is vice president and public affairs chairman of the Lithuanian American Community, Inc.

The Kaliningrad enclave was established at the end of World War II by the victors at the Potsdam Conference, 1945. This area was Lithuania minor before its conquest by the German Teutonic Order when it came to belong to Germany as a part of the Ostpreussen (East Prussia) territory. Historically, its name was Koenigsberg. The 1939 census listed 2,488,122 inhabitants -- the majority of whom were Germans. The minorities included about 300,00 Poles and 120,000 Lithuanians.

Having conquered Nazi Germany, the allies excluded the Ostpreussen region from German territory and assigned more than half of it to Poland. The rest of it was given to the Soviet Union, who was to serve as an administrator of the region until a final disposition or this area would be decided some time in the future.

The Soviet Union named this region Kaliningrad and proceeded with total "ethnic cleansing". The German population was completely eliminated: some of them fled to Western Germany; some were transported to Siberia; and many of them were killed. This total "cleansing" was followed by the rapid colonialization by Russians; most of whom were forcibly moved from their homes to this new region. Other new colonists were taken out of Soviet jails and given freedom, if they agreed to settle in the Kaliningrad region. In addition, there was established a strong military contingent whose task was to control the territory and protect the port of Kaliningrad.

Presently 906,000 people live in the Kaliningrad enclave, most of whom (78%) are Russians. There are some Lithuanians who remained, and some Germans returned from Siberia and were allowed to settle there. Factually the Kaliningrad enclave is a new artificial entity, which is struggling for its own identity and its own development. Although Kaliningrad is claimed by Russia, it practically exists isolated from its "motherland", and it is developing its own culture and its own history.

Over the past decade we have become accustomed to hearing of crises and trouble spots in the post-Cold War Central and Eastern Europe. By contrast, the Baltic Sea region has been marked by economic growth and political stability. But such growth and stability cannot be taken for granted. Extensive multilateral efforts have taken us where we are today, and additional work will be required to fully exploit the Baltic Sea region’s cooperative potential. I have in mind our neighbors, the Kaliningrad region of the Russian federation.

Half the size of Maryland and with a population of less than a million, the Kaliningrad region is a Russian enclave located on the Baltic Sea coast, between Lithuania and Poland. From the Cold War era, Kaliningrad has inherited many problems. Its economy is lagging badly behind the general growth of the Baltic Sea region. There are severe social problems, an unstable legal environment, an unattractive investment climate, the inability to pay debts, corruption, crime, smuggling, excessive militarization, and a military complex, which until recently, dominated the region's industry.

Following restoration of the Baltic States’ independence, Kaliningrad found itself separated from the rest of Russia. Once Lithuania and Poland join the European Union and Lithuania joins NATO (Poland is already a member), what used to be considered a "garrison" will feel encircled and find itself surrounded by, but not taking part in, the European integration process. This undoubtedly presents a challenge for all concerned: Russia, Lithuania, Poland, the EU, and NATO. If the political, economic, and social situation in Kaliningrad deteriorates further, and solutions for its development are not found, the area may become a "black hole" and a source of instability for the entire Baltic Sea region.

On the other hand, with additional efforts to guide the region toward European integration, Kaliningrad could become Russia’s gate of opportunity for political and economic cooperation with an undivided Europe. From the Lithuanian perspective, the Kaliningrad region offers a unique opportunity for promoting Russia’s modernization. It is in our interest to contribute to a smooth development of the region by engaging it in practical, cooperative projects, regional and cross-border activities, and people-to-people contacts. It would also help to mitigate the emerging fears of some Russians that the region might be "closed" or "isolated".

Even in the early aftermath of the Cold War, the United States understood the importance of a regional approach to the Baltic Sea area. The U.S. strategy in the region has been outlined in its Northern European Initiative (NEI), introduced in September 1997. It aims to help build a stronger, more unified, and more stable region which includes parts of Northwestern Russia, both economically and socially, through cooperation and cross-border ties. The United States could also encourage American investment in Kaliningrad. That would help ensure that the Baltic Sea region becomes a gathering of prosperous and eventually developing countries. Initiatives to downscale its military forces could also be designed.

For its part, at the height of the 1998 Russian economic crisis, Lithuania provided humanitarian assistance to Kaliningrad’s schools, kindergartens, and its hospitals by sending truckloads of medicine and food. Since then, as this year’s chair of the Council of the Baltic Sea States -- a unique regional body comprised of the Nordic and Baltic States (Germany, Poland, and Russia) -- Lithuania has initiated numerous practical, cooperative efforts with Kaliningrad in a number of areas, such as transport and energy, environmental protection education, health care, cross-border cooperation trade and investment, and combating crime. Growing investment in Kaliningrad, including that of Lithuania, has created new employment opportunities for the local population and serves as the best practical example of the modern approach to bilateral cooperation in the region.

Within the European Union’s Northern Dimension (ND) framework, the prime ministers of Lithuania and Russia have agreed to prepare a joint proposal for the EU, which would involve Kaliningrad in the ND regional programs.

NATO also has many opportunities at its disposal to contribute to stability here. The alliance could well aid in the conversion of Kaliningrad’s military industry, the disposal of chemical weapons, and the development of a civil emergency response plan. Since there are over 30,000 military personnel in Kaliningrad, more inclusive cooperation with the Russian military is necessary. Indeed, Poland as a new NATO member is already maintaining contacts with the Russian Baltic Fleet based in Kaliningrad; thereby contributing to increased confidence between NATO and Russia in the Baltic area.

Overall, the situation of Kaliningrad should be seen not only as an obstacle but also as an opportunity and an asset. Kaliningrad presents itself as a test of Russia s "Europeanization" vis-a-vis the processes of Euro-Atlantic integration. Conversely, for the Kaliningrad region neighbors, as well as for the transatlantic community as a whole, it is a test of how to create an integrated Europe without creating new lines of division. Continuous attention to the issues concerning Kaliningrad is essential in international efforts to strengthen relationships with Russia and to further development of the Baltic Sea region in this period of transformation. 

Lithuanian-Kaliningrad Border Discussed

Representatives of the Kaliningrad region and the Lithuanian state border protection services held a regular meeting on February 25th to look into possibilities of shortening the lines at the border crossing points. However, no essential changes in this sphere can be expected in the immediate future.

A one-day meeting of the Lithuanian border police and the Russian federal border service's Kaliningrad region unit representatives discussed joint actions in the campaign against illegal migration, smuggling, drugs trafficking in addition to the discussion about long lines at the border crossings.

The deputy chief commissioner of the Lithuanian border police force, Algirdas Stonkaitis, and the head of the Kaliningrad region unit of the Russian federal border service, Pavel Pavlenko, signed a joint protocol after the meeting, reported a Lithuanian coastal defense border police spokesperson.

The issue of lines at the border crossing points was high on the meeting's agenda due to last year's increase of motor traffic across the Lithuanian Russian points. Long lines are caused by the so-called "shuttle" cross border trade when large quantities of alcohol, cigarettes, petrol, and other goods are being carried into Lithuania -- because all these goods are cheaper in Kaliningrad. (Baltic News Service)