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Your Excellency President of the Republic of Lithuania,
Distinguished Honorary Consuls,
Dear Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome all our dear friends and guests of the 4th Convention of Honorary Consuls of Lithuania. This year we are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the re-establishment of Lithuania’s independence, statehood and its diplomatic service. We greatly appreciate your support and help at the time when Lithuania was taking its first steps as a re-established independent state and the Lithuanian diplomatic service was struggling to find its place again in the international community.

Your experience has and will continue to strengthen and expand Lithuania’s abilities to pursue an active foreign policy. You have the privilege to speak in the name of the foreign minister or at the request of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. It is a great honour, but also a great responsibility.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank you for your every effort to contribute to Lithuania, for your time, your hard work and your heart, which you give   in helping Lithuania. During the Convention, You will discuss the main issues of Lithuanian policy with the members of our government, business community, diplomats and will see how it is changing the life not only in our capital city, but also in our regions. Saving your time, I will stress your attention only on some tasks of our policy.    

Those important issues are economic diplomacy and the encouragement of economic co-operation with other countries, the development of tourism, questions of Lithuanians living abroad and consular assistance to citizens of Lithuania, the presentation of Lithuania’s culture to the world, public diplomacy, the development of scientific exchanges, and closer cooperation between universities... Every honorary consul has unique abilities and knowledge how to make faster progress in the implementation of these aims.    

The Congress will include visits by Honorary Consuls to different regions of Lithuania, where they will be able to learn about the most progressive companies, export and investment possibilities of those regions. We are glad that regional municipalities and companies in Lithuania have shown an interest in the possibility to introduce themselves to the Honorary Consuls, establish direct relations, find business partners and investors, and co-operate in culture, education and the arts.

In order to go hand in hand with the changing reality, we have to be open to new developments and cope with new challenges. I believe that our long history proves that we, undoubtedly, are able to do that. We see the promotion of Lithuanian exports and attraction of foreign direct investments as the key tasks of our economic diplomacy which will help to achieve our two strategic goals set by the national Government: to become the Northern Europe Service Hub by 2015 and Northern Europe Innovation Centre by 2020. In this we also rely on your active cooperation.

We expect your consolidated efforts in two directions. Firstly, in revealing essential information about the market of your respective country to Lithuanian exporters, and, secondly, in introducing attractiveness of doing business in Lithuania to potential investors in your country of residence.

We would appreciate if you could share the information on market access particularities and trade barriers of your respective country with diplomatic representations or the Ministry, as well as use your influence and intermediation to help Lithuanian exporters to make necessary contacts in local official and business circles and to solve arising problems on the spot.

Moreover, we would like to use your friendly attitude towards Lithuania and to make you kind of a “PR agency”, advocates of our economy and of opportunities which it opens to foreign investors.

 In our turn, we commit to present thorough information and provide necessary contacts of state and business bodies involved in the process of developing our economy.

Energy security and diversification of energy supply are especially important issues for Lithuania. Integration of our energy sector into a common EU energy market and reducing dependence on the single external energy supplier (i.e. Russia) are vitally important objectives.

Seeking to diversify energy supply Lithuania is in the process of implementation of different projects - power interconnections with Sweden and Poland, a liquefied natural gas terminal, underground gas storage, gas interconnection with Poland, construction of new Nuclear Power plant, etc. 

In the area of transport, Lithuania is actively engaged in regional and international initiatives related to the transport sector. We consider the transport sector vital for sustainable regional development and competiveness. I’m glad to notice that after long time of difficulties, Rail Baltica project gained proper attention and real implementation has started.

Dear Guests,

We do understand that it is not an easy task to always be hands on, especially when your duties to Lithuania are carried out on voluntary basis, but your work is very important for our Ministry and Lithuania as a whole. Your frequent and active participation is much needed.

During the Convention we will seek closer communication on questions of consular assistance and cooperation with the Lithuanian Diaspora. To improve the quality of support to Lithuanian citizens abroad, both in normal times and in crises, is one of our priorities. We seek to deliver our consular services abroad as professionally as possible. Therefore, your participation in consular assistance issues is of great importance, especially having in mind that, in some regions you are the only representatives of our country. The Lithuanian consular service has delivered major improvements in the last years;however, some challenges remain. One of them – to provide the same consistent, high - quality and professional service to Lithuanians wherever they are. This challenge we can not overcome without your consular assistance, support in crises, advice and information.

From January 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been entrusted a new function – formation and implementation of policies towards Lithuania Diaspora abroad. 

We are grateful to our honorary consuls who cooperate closely with Lithuanian communities in their home countries and assist the communities and Lithuanian schools in their dealings with local authorities. We want to encourage everybody who has  some roots in Lithuania to participate more actively in social, political, scientific and cultural life of Lithuania.   

It is not a secret that during the economic crisis we had to reduce our spending for the embassies. Therefore, today the importance of your support has increased. Your assistance in embassy’s political and economical activities,  organization of visits of Lithuanian officials and business delegations is needed very much.

Using this opportunity, I would also like to encourage you to activate your cooperation not only with our embassies abroad but with the different departments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our colleagues in the Consular, Economic, Bilateral relations and other departments would be glad to meet regularly.

Our aim is to achieve the best results and maximum effectiveness from the work with Lithuanian honorary consuls’ network.

Dear Honorary Consuls, with your help we can contribute to a more prosperous and secure future of Lithuania and also to strengthen cooperation with the people and states in which you live and work.

 I have a strong will and a hope that fruitful discussion during this convention will let us find the best ideas for our mutually beneficial cooperation.

Dear Guests,

I would like to mention that this convention is taking place during a very special and important anniversary—600 years ago, the victorious Battle of Grunwald ensured Lithuanian statehood and freedom.  

I thank you for your attention and wish a great success.