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Honorable Consuls,Distinguished Guests,Ladies and Gentlemen,It is my privilege to welcome you here today, on the occasion of the first meeting of our goodwill ambassadors- the honorary consuls of Lithuania, coming from nearly 50 countries of the world. As the head of the diplomatic service of the Republic of Lithuania I am more than pleased to greet you in Vilnius on behalf of myself and the diplomatic corps of my country and to express our deep gratitude for all that you have done and all that you will be doing in the future so that our "name shall be heard far and wide across the world", as had been once prophesied to the Grand Duke Gediminas, the founder of the city that is hosting you today. Indeed, you are a vital contact point and a voice of our nation, be it in countries where we have our diplomatic representations, or where our own presence does not reach out so far. We appreciate your dedication to work for the better relations among our nations, and we hope to continue working in syntony with all of you in the years to come. My very special thanks go to those honorary consuls who started their difficult but invaluable work during the time of occupation, when the ruling regime was doing all in its power to cancel the voice of our nation from the international arena. But your dedication and perseverance, Mr. Vytautas Čekanauskas, Mr. Vaclovas Kleiza, Mr. Haris Lapas, were active testimonies of our fight for freedom. And, Mr. Leon Bodd, we shall never forget your priceless help during the tragic events of January 1991. To all of you who have joined the consular corps driven by the sentiment for the determination and the freedom-loving character of our nation, and who have thus assisted in making Lithuania's name reappear on the map of Europe, this time for good, here's our sincere welcome and appreciation. Our meeting today is a festive occasion, but it is also a a rare opportunity for all of us to exchange thoughts and ideas about how to work better together, to talk about Lithuania's foreign policy, about our present priorities and future goals, and the best ways to implement them.This year Lithuania is marking the tenth anniversary of diplomatic relations with many of your countries. Ten years is an eye-blink in world history, but to us these past ten years have been epoch-making. We have regained our voice and our international status. Lithuania is again part of the democratic international community, part of the grand project of European reunification. A decade ago, we had very specific tasks to complete: we had to win international recognition for Lithuania and to establish diplomatic relations with other countries; to liberate our territory from soviet troops; and to overcome the heavy past of mistrust and conflict with some of our neighbours. Today, we have diplomatic relations with 142 countries of the world; Lithuania is represented in the world by 45 diplomatic and consular missions, accredited to almost 60 countries. And we have you, a body of 89 honorary consuls across the globe. Lithuania is a member of all the main international organisations; furthermore, due to the measured and flexible policies, Lithuania has become a significant stabilising factor in the region, and is intent on continuing along this road. As honorary consuls of our nation, you have been witnessing all these transformations, directly and indirectly, through the ties with our Ministry and the Embassies accredited to your respective countries, as well as during your visits to Lithuania and the informal contacts with our citizens. Over these ten years, Lituania has changed enormously. Vilnius is a different city altogether. What is Lithuania like today? Let me help you with some facts and figures. Today our per capita GDP is above USD 3,000. Lithuania enjoys some 2.5 billion dollars of foreign investment; inflation is at an annual 1- 2 per cent level. The first quarter of 2001 saw a 5.1 per cent growth of the national economy. Two-thirds of the national product are produced by the private sector. More than 50 per cent of Lithuania's trade is with the European Union. Lithuania has affirmed itself as a reliable international partner and is an active participant of international peace-keeping operations. 850 Lithuania soldiers have participated in peace-keeping missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo; Lithuanian civilians are present in various UN- and OSCE- led missions. Before short, we are to take up the chairmanship of the Council of Europe. More than 1,000 officers and civil servants have been educated in most reputable educational establishments of NATO and partner countries; a 12,000-strong Lithuanian military was built from scratch. This is the reality of the Lithuania you are visiting today.Thus, our foreign policy priorities clearly reflect Lithuania's orientation and willingness to be a solid part of the international democratic community. I am certain you all are familiar with the main foreign policy priorities of our nation: EU and NATO membership, good neighbourly relations and an active regional policy, plus increasingly vigorous economic diplomacy. Let me dwell on this but in brief.There is a clear consensus among the Lithuanian political elites regarding the foreign policy guidelines. Our priorities stem from a shared conviction that they best serve the consolidation of the national independence and security, the achievement of internal and external stability, the creation of optimal conditions for the economic and social development of the nation, and affirming Lithuania as a respected and reliable partner in the region and in the world. So where do we stand today? In terms of EU accession, Lithuania started the accession negotiations on 15 February 2000, with the so-called Helsinki group of countries. Since then, Lithuania has made significant progress and caught up with those candidate countries that had started the negotiations earlier, the so-called Luxembourg group, thus making excellent use of the in-built catch-up mechanism and establishing itself as a clear leader among the Helsinki-group candidates. As of today, Lithuania and the EU have opened all the main 29 negotiating chapters and have preliminarily closed 18 chapters, including such complicated ones as the environment.Our objective is crystal clear: to be ready for accession as of January 1, 2004. To make it feasible, we have to finalise the accession negotiations in 2002, to sign the Accession Treaty and to start the process of ratification both in Lithuania and in the Union. It is an ambitious programme, but we are ready to shoulder it, the more so that the European Commission's Regular Report recognised Lithuania as a country with a functioning market economy, capable of withstanding the competitive pressures of market forces in the EU provided it sustains the present pace of the structural reforms. As far as NATO membership is concerned, the Washington Summit named Lithuania a candidate country, and we are proceeding with the practical preparations for membership, through the membership action plan, seeking to be invited to join the Alliance at the 2002 Prague summit. The foundations of the Lithuanian state rest on the same values, ideals and principles as those embodied in the North Atlantic Treaty. Already today we act side-by-side with NATO troops in the various hot spots of Europe, demonstrating our willingness and readiness to shoulder the responsibility for the peace on the Continent. Thus, we find it only natural to seek to become a member of this pivotal collective security organisation.Lithuania is fully aware that NATO membership is not for free-riders or egocentric trouble-makers who hope that NATO membership will resolve their security and economic problems. However, since re-establishing independence, Lithuania has increasingly been a supplier of security in the region and in Europe, politically and materially. As mentioned above, the capacity and professionalism of Lithuanian officers was recognised in numerous joint missions with NATO in Bosnia and Kosovo. In 2002 Lithuania will have a fully NATO-interoperable mechanized infantry battalion; which will be able to participate in Article 5 operations outside the national territory. By 2006 we shall have a fully interoperable high readiness/reaction brigade (HRB/RB), consisting of three infantry battalions, a combat support platoon, and a section of combat service support. The RB, equipped in accordance with NATO standards, will be able to conduct Article 5 operations together with NATO forces inside Lithuania and in adjacent areas. Furthermore, in keeping with our commitments, we have allocated 1.95% of GDP for defense spending this year and we are to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP in 2002. All of this may not seem much in abstract terms, but for a country that ten years ago started from scratch, it is an achievement and a very clear statement of commitment.Again, as regards good neighborhood, facts speak for themselves. Lithuania has developed a tight network of co-operation in the Baltic Sea area and has established good neighbourly relations with all the countries in the region. Over the past decade, we have transformed our uneasy neighbourhood with Poland into a strategic partnership, finding time and human resources to implement numerous initiatives and ideas that only two very friendly nations can generate together. Regular consultations among the three Baltic countries take place at a variety of levels, from the Presidents all the way down to expert groups. The Nordic-Baltic cooperation gained a new quality last year, moving from the 5+3 format to the Nordic-Baltic 8 formula. Lithuania is active in the Council of the Baltic Sea States, unique in that involves the EU member states, EU and NATO applicants, NATO members and Russia. With Russia, Lithuania maintains excellent relations, as admitted on numerous occasions by top Russian leaders themselves; furthermore, we have been actively working to make of the Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation a window of opportunity, a model for wider cooperation between Russia and an enlarging EU. We will continue with our policy of good-neighbourly relations with Russia, and our future co-operation should be based on mutual respect and confidence at all levels. Lithuania's Euro-atlantic integration is not meant to isolate Russia. On the contrary, our membership in the EU and NATO will give a stimulus to increase openness, confidence and co-operation between Russia and Lithuania.The neighbouring region of Kaliningrad is the first of the Russian regions to be soon confronted with the challenges and opportunities posed by EU enlargement. Therefore growing regional co-operation between Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Region, and implementation of common projects could become a model for future relations between Russia and the EU. We are determined to continue our pragmatic relations with Belarus while at the same time seeking to strongly encourage the democratic tendencies in the neighbouring country.Moving on from regional cooperation into a wider European framework, on 8 November 2001 Lithuania will for the first time take up the chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. To shape the agenda and the priorities of this organisation is a big honour and a responsibility for Lithuania. Promoting a wider European identity and sharing the best practices of the Council of Europe states will be our objective. We hope that our chairmanship will contribute to the promotion of the ideals of democracy, individual liberty and human rights - the principles upon which the Council of Europe is founded. In terms of the economic diplomacy, we have come a long way since independence proving that Lithuania is a stable and reliable actor on the political stage. However, the current situation dictates the necessity of having a more pro-active position in implementing our foreign economic policy. We see further globalisation and integration into international economic structures as the main tools for the growth of the national economy. Foreign companies find Lithuania an increasingly attractive place to invest, as evident from the strong growth of foreign direct investment into the country, which is now at 2.7 billion USD. The trademark "Made in Lithuania" is more and more becoming a trademark of quality and prestige. Lithuanian-made goods are found across Europe and beyond. We need to increase our efforts in attracting foreign businesses into Lithuania, particularly into the sectors of energy, technologies and telecommunications, banking, transport industries and tourism, and in this you as our good- will representatives also have a major role to play. Lithuania's timely membership in the WTO will ensure even more favourable trade relations for the country. We will seek to further expand our trade with the EU, to promote our exports to the traditional markets, but at the same time we shall work to reach out to the markets in the Asian, Arab, and African countries, and in Latin America. It is time we should open up for a wider cooperation with these regions, and in this we shall naturally count on the expertise and support of you, our honorary consuls, in giving a new content to our bilateral relations. Honorary Consuls, Ladies and gentlemen,By way of concluding, I would like to express my hope that this first meeting of the Honorary Consuls of Lithuania will set a good example and will become a traditional venue for discussing our goals and priorities and how best to employ our joint efforts in order to bring them to fruition. This time, I have touched upon the priority issues of our foreign policy, but there is so much more to discuss, issues that may sound less imperative and yet vital for a better understanding between our respective nations and for making Lithuania's name familiar to millions of your compatriots. Culture, information, and tourism, to name but a few. I hope that in the discussions and meeting that are to follow there'll be room for this as well; for as we join a uniting Europe and the Euro-Atlantic community, we bring in a distinct historical and cultural heritage, a precious instrument for overcoming the remaining uncertainties and reticences regarding us, the new entrants of this enlarging family… Here again, I see an enormous potential regarding your role. I truly hope that you will continue your mission as a Lithuanian voice in your respective countries, a voice that spans nations and continents. For as we build and promote a new, 21st century Lithuania, we build and promote a new, 21st century world, a stable, prosperous, and peaceful world.Thank you.