Kaliningrad

After refusing to ratify the border treaty with Estonia, the Russian government is continuing to give offence to its neighbours: today marks the beginning of a three-day celebration of the 750th anniversary of the founding of the Baltic port city of Kaliningrad. The city, which until World War II was part of Germany, and was called Koenigsberg, is now a Russian enclave. While French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder have been invited to the celebrations, and are expected to attend, no such invitations have been issued to Lithuania's president, Valdas Adamkus, or to the leadership of Poland. These snubs are hard to understand except as another attempt by Moscow to divide the European Union. Both Poland and Lithuania are major investors in the Kaliningrad region, and it would seem natural that as its immediate neighbours they should be represented at an official level. Even local Kaliningrad politicians are bewildered and concerned by Russia's failure to issue the invitations. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov's explanation that the event is primarily a "Russian" one, to be celebrated by the "triumvirate" of France, Germany and Russia, does not sound particularly convincing, and leads many observers to believe that Russia has an interest in increasing tensions within Europe, rather than trying to calm them.

Update: Radio Polonia reports that, in defiance of Moscow,

the citizens of Kaliningrad have sent the presidents of Poland and Lithuania invitations to the ceremonies marking the 750th anniversary of this Russian enclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania. Neither of the presidents were officially invited by the Russian authorities to attend the events beginning tomorrow. The invitations from the people of Kaliningrad were sent through electronic mail to the respective countries’ consulates in Kaliningrad and then forwarded to the presidents of Poland and Lithuania.

The Mayor of Olsztyn, capital city of a Polish province bordering with Kaliningrad, who, in turn, did receive an invitation, will not attend the ceremonies. A delegation will be sent instead