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In the annual meeting of the heads of the Lithuanian diplomatic missions on 7 July, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antanas Valionis reviewed the tasks faced by the diplomatic service in the view of the policy to make Lithuania a regional centre. A few weeks ago, the idea that Lithuania should strive to strengthen its role in the region through the membership in the European Union and NATO as well as actively developed relations with its neighbours and become the region’s leading centre was proposed by Acting President of the Republic of Lithuania Artūras Paulauskas. In Antanas Valionis words, the major long-term goals of Lithuania are to increase wellbeing in the country, to embed the European values in the country’s home and foreign policy, to expand the borders of Europe, to surround Lithuania with free and democratic states as well as to strengthen the international standing of Lithuania and its economic, political and cultural influence. According to Antanas Valionis, in order to implement these goals a stable political system, competitive economy, social consistency, professional institutions, acknowledgement by the partners, active shaping of policy in the region, a widely developed infrastructure and favourable international conditions – a strong European Union and NATO – are needed. First of all, in belief of the Chief of Lithuania’s diplomacy, it is necessary to use all the opportunities opened by the membership in the European Union and NATO to strengthen Lithuania’s state, society, economy and culture and to join smoothly the process of shaping the European Union and NATO’s policy in order to defend Lithuania’s interests. Lithuania, according to the Minister, should also seek to be influential through increasing trade with the neighbouring countries, investing more in these countries and opening more widely its culture. “In order to achieve that we should lean upon the European Union and NATO and use all possible international instruments. In the neighbouring countries, Lithuania should be represented more widely, whereas Lithuania and the region should be represented more widely in the world. Lithuanian schools, Lithuanian organisations, Lithuanian charity in foreign countries could embody Lithuania, Europe and the region,” Antanas Valionis pointed out. Besides that, according to the Minister, it is necessary to expand interaction between the Baltic region and its northern, southern and eastern neighbours, so that more intense mutual relations would increase Lithuania’s strategic significance and geographic area of activity. “We must initiate and implement new formats of regional cooperation, that would connect the states of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. This would broaden the identity of the region and would allow to eliminate geographic divisions made during the interwar period,” the minister said. He also underlined the significance of support to the enlargement of the European Union and NATO, which would help the neighbouring countries non-members of these organisations to join Europe, development of common projects with the neighbouring countries in the fields of transport and energy, fostering the transatlantic link, strengthening the European Union and NATO’s dialogue with Russia and participation in it as well as representation of Lithuania in the international organisations. During the opening ceremony of the meeting, Artūras Paulauskas welcomed the heads of the diplomatic missions. Insuring Lithuania’s interests and priorities in the European Union, the country’s priorities in the European Union’s external policy, new tasks of the security policy, conception of Lithuania’s multilateral relations, priorities of the foreign economic policy and the public diplomacy have been analysed at the event. Currently, 35 Ambassadors, five Charge d’Affaires, seven Consuls General and two Consuls head the Lithuanian diplomatic missions.