Germany’s Federal Foreign Minister hands over a facsimile of the Act of Independence of 16 February 1918 to Linkevičius
On 31 March at the NATO Headquarters, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius held a meeting with the German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Sigmar Gabriel, who handed over a facsimile of the Act of Independence of 16 February 1918 to him.
Linkevičius said that the conversation with Gabriel was very cordial. Germany is well aware of the historical significance of this document for Lithuania.
Gabriel promised to examine in detail the existing legal framework and regulations related to the archive in the near future.
The original Act of Independence of 16 February 1918, which was sent through the post to Germany, is a historical monument and part of our heritage.
Linkevičius reiterated that this was the only known original Act of Independence of Lithuania – Lithuania’s main historical document – and we were very interested in returning it back to Lithuania for storage and preservation.
The Foreign Ministers agreed that Germany would allow exhibiting the original document in Lithuania in the short run, while continuing to examine all relevant legal issues.
Germany’s Federal Foreign Minister kindly agreed to allow Lithuanian scholars and historians to work in the German diplomatic archive. It is expected that the archives contain more significant documents pertaining to Lithuania’s statehood.
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