News

On 21 January, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas is meeting for the first time with foreign Ambassadors that are accredited to Lithuania and will acquaint them with priorities of the new Government’s foreign policy. At the meeting, Minister V.Ušackas will also present Ambassador Ina Marčiulionytė as a joint candidate of the three Baltic States – Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia – to the post of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Director General.

The election to the post of the Director General will take place during the 35th General Conference of UNESCO in autumn 2009. This is the highest position in any international organization, to which Lithuania has ever presented a candidate.

The meeting will be held at the Pranciškus Smuglevičius Hall in Vilnius University. Minister V.Ušackas and Ambassador I.Marčiulionytė both have graduated from this centre of education and science which is the oldest in the Eastern Europe.

In 2008, all three Baltic States have jointly suggested UNESCO to include the Baltic Way into the Memory of the World Register. In 2003, the UNESCO proclaimed the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian tradition and symbolism of the Baltic Song and Dance Celebrations as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

UNESCO is a universal UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, established after the World War II in November 1945. The Organisation seeks to contribute to the world peace and security strengthening, to develop cooperation among nations in the areas of education, science, culture and communication.