News

On 9 October, the Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the World Trade Organization, Ambassador Raimondas Ališauskas met with the organization's Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and presented his letters of credence.

After the ceremony, both parties discussed the priorities of Lithuania, current affairs of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and preparation for the WTO Ministerial Conference MC13. Lithuania's Permanent Representative and the Director-General condemned the recent terrorist attacks on Israel. They also hoped that the international community's attention to Russia's aggression against Ukraine would not decrease.

The Permanent Representative of Lithuania emphasized the importance of WTO reform to maintain the world trade system's stability and the WTO's effectiveness. Ališauskas underlined the need for the organization to modernize and create new trade rules that would help solve such problems as industrial subsidies distorting international trade. The Lithuanian diplomat emphasized that the WTO should help develop digital trade, and the extension of the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmission was a necessary result of WTO MC13.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that she appreciated Lithuania's contribution to strengthening the WTO and supporting multilateralism and the international trade system. The WTO Director-General agreed that modernizing the WTO and international trade rules was a priority, and she was putting a lot of personal effort into keeping the WTO relevant and making MC13 a success. She emphasized the readiness to continue further close cooperation with Lithuania.

The World Trade Organization was founded in 1995. Almost all international trade is governed by the rules of the WTO Agreements. Lithuania has been a member of this organization since 2001. Lithuania's economy is strongly dependent on international trade. Lithuania's membership in the WTO facilitates the resolution of trade disputes and helps open export markets for Lithuanian companies.