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The Embassy of Lithuania in the U.S. hosted an event on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of international recognition of restoration of Lithuania’s independence, which was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius, Prof.Paul Goble who has greatly helped Lithuania to restore its independence and was recently awarded the Truman-Regan Medal of Freedom, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, Dr. Damian Leader who has researched the non-recognition policy of the illegal annexation of Lithuania for many years, and the U.S. State Department’s Coordinator for Sanctions Policy, Ambassador Daniel Fried.

The officials discussed how the U.S. formulated and implemented the non-recognition policy of the illegal annexation of the Baltic countries of 1940 and the U.S.-Baltic relations in 1990-1991. They presented results of historical research studies and discussed how the U.S., the European Union and other countries respecting the United Nations Charter and international law should address the annexation of Crimea and violations of territorial integrity of Georgia and Moldova.

The participants of the discussion stressed the historical significance of a principled and values based politics, highlighting the non-recognition policy of the illegal annexation of Crimea and policy towards the illegally occupied territories of Georgia and Moldova.

Linkevičius thanked the U.S. for its long-term non-recognition policy of the illegal annexation  and urged to learn the lessons of history.

“This is symbolic that the discussion is taking place in a building, which had remained a cradle of freedom and hope not only for Lithuanians, but also for many other enslaved nations of the Soviet Empire during the fifty years of occupation,” said the head of Lithuania’s diplomacy.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister thanked Goble and Leader, who shared their memories and presented a careful analysis of historical documents.

“Your work is yet another reminder of how important it is to learn the lessons of history. We cannot remain indifferent, do nothing or just ignore crimes, aggression and violations of the sovereignty of other countries. We must constantly insist that Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine’s territorial integrity be restored as soon as possible. Silence in the case of aggression is the aggressor’s ally,” said Linkevičius.

The event was also attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, leaders and representatives of the communities of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and other countries, the head of the Tatar community in the U.S., other well-known and eminent persons.