Press release, 1 March 2016
Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Hiroshi Hase, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. While appreciating the headlong and promising Lithuanian–Japanese cooperation in science and technologies, the Speaker of the Seimas also stressed the common values, namely, trust, respect for human rights and aspiration to universal human well-being, which were all important for successful development of bilateral relations.
“Lately, we have felt a massive breakthrough in the Lithuanian–Japanese cooperation in science and technologies,” said the Speaker of the Seimas as she noted that Lithuania became more recognisable and was gradually finding its way into the Japanese market through its achievements in life sciences, pharmacy and biotechnologies.
Mrs Graužinienė noted the active cooperation between the Lithuanian and Japanese universities, the Lithuanian Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology (MITA) and the Japanese Science and Technology Agency, and the Research Council of Lithuania and the Japanese Science Society, as well as the intensive student exchange, establishment of contacts between gymnasiums, and bilateral scientific seminars. She underlined that Lithuania was interested in signing as soon as possible the agreement with Japan on cooperation in the field of science and technologies.
Moreover, Mrs Graužinienė extended an invitation to the representatives of Japanese scientific and governmental institutions and businesses to take active part in the third international conference titled Life Sciences Baltics, which is due to take place in Vilnius on 14–16 September 2016.
The Speaker of the Seimas believed that the shared values connecting the countries were nonetheless important in the development of the Lithuanian–Japanese partnership. “Our countries share the same willingness to attain universal human well-being based on respect for human rights and freedoms and respect for human dignity. More than 75 years ago, the connection between our nations was established by Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who resided in Lithuania and rescued thousands of Jews in wartimes. We treasure the memory of the noble son of your nation,” Mrs Graužinienė said.
The Speaker of the Seimas highlighted that she especially appreciated the choice by the Japanese Nippon TV to have the world premiere of the film on Chiune Sugihara in the historical cinema Romuva in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas, where the Japanese Consul resided and worked in 1939–1940, and conveyed Lithuania’s support for the inclusion of the documents by Sugihara in the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
Mrs Graužinienė expressed her appreciation of the fact that Japan was particularly respected and popular in Lithuania and that there were many Lithuanians willingly learning the Japanese language. She also observed that the Japanese culture and its traditional sport branches were popular in our country. The Speaker of the Seimas invited the Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to pay a visit to Lithuania if possible. Mrs Graužininė also wished Japan successful hosting of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where Lithuania, as said by Madam Speaker, hopes to win many gold medals.
Neringa Mikėnaitė, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6344, mob. +370 698 42759, e-mail:[email protected]
