Soviet occupation held back development of Poland and Lithuania says PM

Because Soviet domination obstructed the development of Poland and Lithuania, both countries today face challenges that are very similar, Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland, said in Vilnius on Friday. Morawiecki was in the capital of Lithuania to take part in inter-governmental consultations. During a joint conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Ingrida Simonyte, Poland's prime minister pointed out that after February 24, it could be said that the aggressive policies of Russia were threats against Europe as well as the entire world. "This aggressiveness is something that, over the past centuries, has taken its toll on us, both in Lithuania and Poland," he said.