Subject: RE: [BoundaryPoint] Lithuanian enclave
Date: Jun 11, 2001 @ 23:12
Author: Jan Krogh ("Jan Krogh" <Jan@Krogh.com>)
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Brendan,

Pagiriai is the official Lithuanian name of the farm. The name I used was
the local Russian name, as most villagers in this area are of Slavic origin
(Poles and Whiterussians). I was there once in 1995, before the demarcation,
while we still could penetrate the border from Lithuania into the enclave.
In fact we did not find the enclave on our first try. Driving around on the
cow paths was not easy, constantly being afraid of getting stuck in the mud.
After some time we got back the orientation asking an old lady, who could
tell us we had passed the enclave with some 2-3 km. Actually I am in doubt
that people have been living there. All what we could see was one building,
a big hay barn or a cow barn, situated on a small hill at the edge of a
wood. I cannot remember any living house there, but I remember we was
looking for one.

Enclosed to this email is a map picture of the enclave, correctly naming it
Pagiriai! (It is scanned from page 171 (article 82) of Turisto atlasas,
Vilnius Mintis Publishers, ISBN 5-417-00501-0.)

In 1992 I contacted Mr Vytautas Baškys, President of the historical
association of Voruta in Vilnius. He reported the exclave was 969 hectares
(1,69 sq. km). It came into being because the properties of the state farms
often did not follow the union republic's borders. For the local Soviet
people in this area it did not matter whereever they lived in White Russia
or in Lithuania, but it was important who run this actual farm. This enclave
belonged to a sovkhoz (Soviet collective farm) in the neighboring township
of Šalcininkai. The historical borders between Lithuania and Whiterussia has
during the last centuries constantly changed. (Some houndred years ago
Lithuania even reached the Black Sea.)

The text you included is the offical Lithuanian text of the border treaty
only describing the Lithuanian - Whiterussian border. (Among it says the
border "is going to Adutiškes railway station".) The demarcation should be
made by a 10 meter's wide boundary line; 5 meters on each side. This offical
line is to be found on a 1:10000 scale map, printed in four copies, and
enclosed to them are official detailed describtion of the line. It is not
touching the enclave issue at all.

The treaty was signed by the Presidents of the two republics in Vilnius on
February 6th 1995. The ratification (when the treaty became valid) should
according to the treaty take place from April 26th the year after.

I remember from these years that I one evening watched a Lithuanian tv
programme discussing these topics. The Lithuanian border commition chairman
was interviewed, and showed a map including the Pagiriai enclave, but also
one or two Whiterussian enclaves in Lithuanian, close to the town of
Eišiškes. I did not understand if this only was claims from the eastern
neighbor or what, but this or these enclaves, has or have, never showed up
on any other map I have seen.

I am very grateful for all the other comments and questions I have got.
Unfortunately I am very busy at the time being, but I will try to give all
their comments during the coming days.

Jan