A plane carrying the Polish state delegation, headed by President Lech Kaczyński, crashed near the Smolensk airport. President Kaczyński, his wife Maria and a group of high-ranking Polish officials were flying to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

“I am deeply shocked because President Kaczyński and I met in Vilnius only the day before yesterday. Lithuania has lost a good and true friend. The years of President Kaczyński’s leadership represent a most important phase in our bilateral cooperation. On behalf of the people of Lithuania, I offer my deepest condolences to the Polish people, to President Kaczyński’s family and to all those who are mourning their loss. I hope that the relationship between Lithuania and Poland will continue developing and that we will be able to translate the meaningful initiatives launched by President Kaczyński into reality,” President Grybauskaitė said.

Press Service of the President