Act of Independence of Lithuania of Jonas Basanavičius, who led the Council of Lithuania when the Act of 16 February was signed. The Jonas Basanavičius Prize is bestowed for distinguished work within the previous five years in the fields of ethnic and cultural studies. Act of Independence of Lithuania The Act of Reinstating Independence of Lithuania () or Act of 16 February was signed by the Council of Lithuania on 16 February 1918, proclaiming the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania, governed by democratic principles, with Vilnius as its capital. The Act was signed by all twenty representatives of the Council, which was chaired
Lithuania Minor was found which indicated that in 1990, the Soviet leadership was prepared to negotiate the return of Kaliningrad to Germany against payment. The proposal was declined by German diplomats. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Kaliningrad Oblast has become an exclave of Russia. Lithuania, Germany, and Poland lay no official claims to the region at this time. Of the portion of Lithuania Minor that is currently in Poland, Gołdap, (), the seat of Gołdap County, is the largest municipality of the region within the Polish state, making it the de-facto capital of Polish Lithuania Minor. Unlike the area