Relations between the governments of Poland and Lithuania have come a long, long way since the painful stand-off of the 1920s and 30s, a time when both nations laid claim to the city of Vilnius, now the Lithuanian capital. When the Russian Empire crumbled at the close of the First World War, the Poles took the city that they believed to be theirs - not before the Lithuanians themselves claimed Vilnius for themselves. In riposte, the Lithuanians broke off diplomatic relations with the Poles until 1939, when war returned to Europe.
Today, Lithuania and Poland are brothers within the European Union, and the two states see eye to eye on a number of international policies, as evidenced once more by President Kaczynski's visit to Vilnius last week. Vilnius is now a thriving and upbeat city, where many ethic Poles are flourishing.
However, there do remain some awkward issues, which the presidents Kaczynski and Adamkus have discussed this March.
The majority of Lithuania's Polish population were resettled in the new Poland following the war. Nevertheless, tens of thousands did stay, and they now make up a significant minority in the country.
However, whilst ethnic Lithuanians have been able to reclaim pre-war property that was confiscated under the Soviets, some Poles who remained in Lithuania have not been so successful, particularly those who owned landed properties outside Vilnius.
Naturally, many citizens of Vilnius would be nervous if, all of a sudden, European courts started handing back pre-war property to families that were resettled in Poland - only a small percent of the pre-war population of Vilnius spoke Lithuanian. Likewise, Poles themselves are nervous about Germans reclaiming properties that were lost to Poland in 1945.
However, Poland would argue that those Poles who never left Lithuania are special cases. After all, they are citizens of the Lithuanian country. Should they be discriminated against because of their ethnic background?
A further thorny issue is the Lithuanianisation of Polish names, be they on statues of Polish heroes, or in the very names of citizens of Polish backgrounds. President Adamkus has promised to clarify the matter in parliament.
All in all however, Poland and Lithuania are on decidedly positive terms, and both presidents have pledged to continue to build on this relationship. Vilnius itself is an increasingly cosmopolitan city, and a popular destination with Polish tourists, who are welcomed each year in the capital.
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