Press release, 3 July 2016
During her working visit to the United States of America, Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, had consecutive meetings with Lithuanian honorary consuls and leadership of the Lithuanian communities in the US, who came to the XV Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival. The importance of the Lithuanian diaspora in creating a strong, advanced and prosperous Lithuania was the focus of the meetings.
At the meeting with the Lithuanian honorary consuls, the Speaker of the Seimas thanked them for their active endeavours and for standing in defence of Lithuania’s interests. “You are an integral part of Lithuania’s diplomatic corps contributing to the promotion of Lithuania,” the Speaker of the Seimas underlined. She encouraged the honorary consuls in the US to contribute more actively to attracting investment, innovation, technologies, and specialists to Lithuania and to make every effort in developing and strengthening Lithuania.
Photos of the Archive of the Office of the Seimas
In their turn, the honorary consuls were interested in Lithuania’s realities and how the amendments to the new Labour Code would contribute to the improvement of the investment environment. They also expressed their serious concerns over Astravyets Nuclear Power Plant that was under construction in Belarus in the immediate proximity of the Lithuanian-Belarussian border. The participants of the meeting discussed the European security policy and the upcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw. Moreover, the meeting discussed the preparation to mark the centenary of the restored State of Lithuania.
At the ensuing meeting with the representatives of the leadership of the Lithuanian communities in the US, Mrs Graužinienė expressed her gratitude to them for fostering the Lithuanian spirit. The Speaker of the Seimas was convinced that “the role of the diaspora was very important in restoring the independence of Lithuania, and it continued to be equally important in the present in creating a modern Lithuania and attracting investment and innovation.”
The leadership of the Lithuanian communities thanked the Speaker of the Seimas for her sincere attention and support. They believed that the participation of the Speaker of the Seimas in the celebration of the most important festival of the diaspora showed that the valuable contribution of the Lithuanian diaspora was visible and duly assessed in Lithuania. This was also crucial for preserving the Lithuanian identity and strengthening the relations with Lithuania.
The meeting also addressed the matters related to the Lithuanian citizenship, the preparation to mark the centenary of the restored State of Lithuania and the domestic and foreign policy issues.
Neringa Mikėnaitė, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6344, mob. +370 698 42 759, e-mail: neringa.mikenaite@lrs.lt
