The Ministry for Belarusian Affairs was a short-lived interwar Lithuanian ministry. It was established in December 1918 to gain support of Belarusians in international negotiations over the borders of the newly independent Lithuania. However, the Lithuanian government did not support Belarusian autonomy and the ministry effectively competed with the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. Activities of the ministry were limited to publication of several books and two periodicals and other cultural work. The ministry was officially closed in January 1924.
History
This ministry was established as a result of negotiations between leaders of the Belarusian People's Republic and the Council of Lithuania in November–December 1918. Lithuanians wanted to secure Belarusian support in the upcoming Paris Peace Conference over the borders of the new Lithuanian State. For the same reason, there was a Ministry for Jewish Affairs. As a result of the negotiations, six Belarusians were co-opted into the council on 27 November and the Ministry for Belarusian Affairs was established on 9 December. Jazep Varonka became the first minister without portfolio. When Vilnius was captured in December 1918 by the Red Army at the outbreak of the Lithuanian–Soviet War, the Ministry for Belarusian Affair evacuated to Grodno while other Lithuanian government institutions evacuated to Kaunas. The ministry moved to Kaunas in spring 1919 when Grodno was captured during the Polish–Soviet War. By spring 1919, Belarusian leaders became disillusioned with Lithuanian support. Belarusian Prime MinisterAnton Luckievich sent Pyotra Krecheuski to negotiate with Lithuania regarding liquidation of the Ministry for Belarusian Affairs and establishment of a diplomatic mission of the Belarusian People's Republic in Kaunas. Negotiations failed and Varonka remained minister. In late 1919, the Lithuanian government decided to reign in ministry's contacts with foreign powers, specifically the West Russian Volunteer Army and the Belarusian People's Republic. Several Belarusian couriers traveling from Berlin to Riga were arrested and Varonka resigned in protest on 3 January 1920. Government inspectors found no irregularities at the ministry and the couriers were soon released, but the ministry was essentially inactive from February to June 1920 when new minister Dominik Semashko was appointed. He did not support Belarusian autonomy and thus was largely isolated from the community. On 11 November 1920, after Lithuania lost its capital Vilnius to the Żeligowski's Mutiny, the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic signed a partnership treaty with Lithuania and relocated to Kaunas. That brought two centers of Belarusians activities to Kaunas but they were not inclined to cooperate. Their competences were divided: the ministry was in charge of Belarusian affairs inside the Lithuanian borders up to the demarcation line with Poland, while the Rada was in charge in Vilnius Region. That pushed the ministry into a secondary role as the Lithuanians cared more about the support Belarusians could provide in their territorial conflict with Poland over the Vilnius Region. Semashko resigned in February 1923 when a new cabinet was sworn in. Lithuanians could not find a suitable replacement and Prime MinisterErnestas Galvanauskas also became acting Minister for Belarusian Affairs in the 8th cabinet that was appointed in June 1923. The last employees of the ministry were dismissed on 31 December 1923. The Ministry for Belarusian Affairs was officially liquidated on 19 January 1924. Its Jewish counterpart followed suit a couple months later.
Activities
Belarusians envisioned Lithuania that would include territories of the former Vilna and Grodno Governorates and where Belarusians would be treated not as an ethnic minority but as an equal. To that end, they sought autonomy in Belarusian-inhabited areas. The Lithuanian government did not support such aspirations and limited activities of the Ministry for Belarusian Affairs. In January 1919, Varonka presented a plan for the ministry's functions that included education and social support. However, the government approved only seven out of 20 activities and provided funding of 28,400 German Papiermarks out of requested 197,300. Thus, the ministry carried out mostly representative functions. Varonka sent notes to German and the Entente Powers protesting Polish and Soviet military actions in Belarusian-inhabited areas, and met with American and French military attachés. From September 1919 to February 1920, the ministry published illustrated Belarusian-language Journal of the Ministry for Belarusian Affairs which wrote on activities of the Lithuanian government, culture and education of Belarusians, biographies of prominent activists. The ministry published weekly two-page Belarusian newsletter Pahonia from July to October 1920. Its circulation was 2,000 copies. The newsletter reported on military actions and other news from Belarusian territories. The ministry also published several Belarusian language books, including two collections of poems by Francišak Bahuševič, translated fairy-tales by Hans Christian Andersen, primer by Jan Stankievič, several books by Vaclau Lastouski. After the resignation of Semashko, Klawdziy Duzh-Dushewski continued cultural activities of the ministry and organized a six-week training on Lithuanian and Belarusian languages. When the ministry was closed, the publication of Belarusian books was taken over by Lastouski and Duzh-Dushewski.
