8 July 2010
Mrs Irena Degutienė, Speaker of the Seimas has met with Mr Avigdor Liberman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel. At the meeting, they covered bilateral Lithuanian-Israeli relations, cultural cooperation, as well as restoration and commemoration of the Jewish historical memory and cultural heritage in Lithuania.
The Speaker of the Seimas highlighted that the State of Israel, the Jewish nation, and Lithuania share special relations nurtured for centuries. According to the leader of the Lithuanian Parliament, the opening of an Embassy of Israel in Lithuania would further contribute to solving many issues and strengthening the bilateral cooperation.
The Speaker informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel that the Seimas had registered a draft resolution submitted by 55 MPs from a variety of parliamentary groups proposing to declare 2011 the Year of Remembrance of the Holocaust Victims in Lithuania. The draft proposes the Government to envisage a programme for the Year of Remembrance of the Holocaust Victims so as to pay tribute to the victims of Holocaust as well as restore and commemorate the historical and cultural Jewish heritage in Lithuania.
Mrs Degutienė singled out Lithuanias decade-lasting engagement in the Holocaust Education Program unique to Europe and offering an example to other countries, as noted by the Council of Europe. Holocaust education is a prominent feature of the Lithuanian education policy. Since 2002, the National Holocaust Education Program is being carried out through the development of tolerance centres at schools, training for schoolteachers, preparation of educational programs, and publications, the Speaker of the Seimas noted.
The meeting also briefly focused on the property restitution issues. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel commended Lithuanias resolve to complete the process smoothly. The Speaker of the Seimas emphasised that the Seimas had already received from the Government a Draft Law on the Compensation for the Jewish Communal Property and it should be considered by Parliament during the Autumn Session.
Secretariat of the Speaker of the Seimas
Juozas Ruzgys, Spokesman, phone: 239 6023, 8 698 42073
