News

On 7 November in the Vatican, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher and marked the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and the Holy See.

In the solemn event, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister highlighted that the Holy See had never recognized the illegal annexation of Lithuania.

“Today, Lithuania thanks You once again for the principled stance 50 years ago that has helped us maintain a hope of freedom. During the annexation period, every sign of support was very important. Your principled stance and the Holy See’s moral authority are significant also today, as Europe and the whole world are facing challenges related to armed conflicts and the use of force,” said Linkevičius.

According to Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, the Holy See’s words heard around the world today are more powerful than weapons, because they inspire millions of people to fight for their freedom, human rights and dignity. “If we could testify to these words through our own example, the world would be a better place to live in,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister during the commemorative event.

In the meeting with the Archbishop, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister welcomed the excellent relationship between Lithuania and the Holy See, which had been intensively developed recently, and underlined the commitment of the two countries to peace, democracy, solidarity and the human rights.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister expressed his satisfaction with a close relationship with the Vatican’s diplomatic service that is peopled with officers, whose knowledge was very valuable for Lithuania during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2014-2015.

“We want to continue this close cooperation and make every effort to find a peaceful settlement of conflicts in eastern Ukraine, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East and to address humanitarian crises caused by the military action in these regions”, said Linkevičius.

In the meeting, a lot of attention was paid to the migration challenge.

The declaration on the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and the Holy See was signed at the ambassadorial level on 30 September 1991.