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Distinguished guests,
Esteemed Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends,

I welcome you in Lithuania, a country, which has firsthand experience of what it means to live without freedom and democracy.

The people of this country and the whole Baltic and Central European region also have firsthand experience of what it takes to break free from totalitarian rule.

Likewise, our people have firsthand experience of how to make democracy happen.

I appreciate the fact that we have gathered today for the right cause and to the right city. For Vilnius is a place of a centuries’ old tradition of cultural and religious tolerance as well as spirit of freedom and openness.  

In 1975, the Soviet government prevented the Nobel Peace Prize Winner Andrei Sakharov from leaving his country to attend the Nobel ceremony in Oslo. His wife Yelena Bonner, whose recent death we mourn, had to accept the Prize on his behalf. On the very same day, Mr. Sakharov was here, in Vilnius, with Lithuanian dissidents, in order to attend the trial of his friend and fellow dissident Sergei Kovalev.

One year later, in November 1976, the Lithuanian Helsinki group was founded. The group became a symbol of Lithuanian dissent movement, which continued to grow despite the persecutions and repressions until our freedom and democratic order were restored.

Let me add that despite the historical hardships this same spirit now is stronger than ever. My nation is free today because our people were not afraid to take to the streets demanding democracy and freedom. They were ready to risk their lives for a breath of liberty. Thanks to that courage, over two decades ago we succeeded in turning the tide of the history of repression. Thanks to the courage and vision of the men and women across the Central and Eastern Europe we can celebrate democracy and freedom with all of you here today.

I believe our history clearly confirms what Mahatma Gandhi once said about democracy: “It is not something that others can just come in and do. The people must decide when they are ready, and then act”.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Democracy cannot be exported or imposed from the outside. The desire for equality and democratic governance stems from the hearts and the dreams of the people on the ground.

Today, we are watching the manifestations for democratic change and freedom on the Arab streets that transform entire societies. Sadly, this transformation comes at a terrible cost of human life and loss. But the desire for freedom and respect for human dignity cannot be extinguished. Neither there, nor anywhere else in the world.

It brings hope that repressive regimes will become a thing of the past.

We must remember, however, that democracy and freedom can never be taken for granted. For democracy to flourish, it must be supported by relevant instruments. This has been one of the original tasks of the Community of Democracies, established more than 10 years ago in Warsaw by the initiative of the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Bronisław Geremek and the then Secretary of State of US Madeleine Albright. This has been a guiding principle of the Lithuanian presidency of the Community over the past two years.

The Community of Democracies will be successful to the extent it is a living, pro-active, result-oriented, and inclusive body of like-minded actors.  It is for this reason that Lithuania considered the reform of the Community as the prime goal of its presidency.

I humbly believe that thanks to the joint efforts of all the actors of the Community of Democracies it re-emerges as a more inclusive, transparent, and relevant forum, committed to the continuous development and support for democracy at all levels. We are grateful for the solidarity and contribution of all the countries, which have supported us on this road to re-energizing and revitalizing the Community.

Through active coordination within the convening group, we have agreed in principle on a package of reforms that would:

·  crystallize the mandate of the Community of Democracies

·  translate into a renewed and enlarged membership of its governing bodies,

·  ensure a more vigorous involvement of all those interested at multiple levels.

Today the Community has grown stronger thanks to the addition of parliamentary, youth and business dimensions in its activities. Besides the non-governmental process of the Community, three new pillars of the Community, namely the Young Leaders Forum, the Parliamentary Forum and Corporate Democracy Forum have been established within the past two years. 

Furthermore, the Community of Democracies is launching a new initiative – the Democracy Partnership Challenge – which is meant to encourage democratic reforms in countries emerging from authoritarian rule. I would also like to express our satisfaction with the strengthened role of the Community of Democracies at the United Nations and enhanced cooperation with other international and regional organizations.

The Vilnius Declaration, which we expect to adopt at the end of our Ministerial meeting, would highlight all those changes, by endorsing these new initiatives. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

I do hope that the Vilnius Ministerial will substantially contribute to future success of the Community of Democracies. I hope that the Vilnius Ministerial will strengthen governments’ dialogue with civil society and foster better coordination with all stakeholders of democracy including parliamentarians, youth leaders, women’s rights activists, business representatives and other parties. 

Thanks to this, the Community will stand empowered, energised and engaged.

While we will not be able to address all aspects of democracy building during this Conference, we suggest to concentrate today’s discussions on what is the most urgent now – the emerging democracies. Now is the moment to support them in their difficult path towards strong democracies.

It is time for our generation to make a change. It is our responsibility.  Let us empower freedom and democracy.