LITHUANIA AND GERMANY ARE RELIABLE PARTNERS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION, NATO AND THE BALTIC SEA REGION, SAID LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
During the opening of the exhibition dedicated to the re-establishment of diplomatic relations of Lithuania and Germany on 16 November at the Lithuanian Embassy in Berlin, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Egidijus Meilūnas highlighted close cooperation of the countries in the European Union, NATO and the Baltic Sea region, as well as strong political, economic and cultural ties.
E.Meilūnas and Special Representative for Dialogue among Civilizations of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Ambassador Heinrich Kreft opened a historical exhibition “From a Periphery Country to a Partner in the European Union: Lithuanian-German Relations in the Last Century”.The exhibition was organized at the joint initiative of Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations of Lithuania and Germany.
“During this period, Lithuanian-German partnership was continually growing stronger. Today we can be proud of our active cooperation in the political, economic, and cultural fields. There are close ties between our societies. Germany is second on the list of foreign trade partners and is also third greatest investor in Lithuania,” said E.Meilūnas.
According to the Vice-Minister, all these examples testify to the power of friendship and people-to-people contacts, which helps to overcome all obstacles and to achieve goals.
The Vice-Minister thanked friends of Lithuania in Germany for supporting Lithuania’s goals to regain freedom and statehood during the occupation.
The exhibition provides an overview of the Lithuanian-German relations from the turn-of-the-century until today. The exhibition consisting of documents and historical photographs tells us a story about Lithuania’s sovereignty goals in the beginning of the 20th century during the German occupation, the normalization of bilateral relations and the approach of interwar Lithuanians and Germans towards each other, also the problem of the Klaipėda region. The exhibition also includes information about the Nazi plans for the occupied Baltic States and reminds its viewers about the atrocities of the Second World War in the Baltic States – deportations, the Holocaust, forced labour and refugees.
Lithuanian-German diplomatic relations were re-established on 28 August 1991.
