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Antanas Račas, signatory of the Act on the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, former member of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania, was awarded for his contribution to the development of relations between Lithuania and Germany. On 10 January, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis conferred the award of honour of Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs – ‘Lithuanian Diplomacy Star’ on Račas for his long-term work in international affairs.

After the events of January 1991, commissioned by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Supreme Council (Reconstituent Seimas) of Lithuania, A.Račas set up the Lithuanian Information Bureau in Hüttenfeld (Germany) in the premises of the February 16 Gymnasium and of the Lithuanian community in Germany. He worked as head of this bureau until 18 November 1991.

After Lithuania regained its independence, Lithuanian information bureaus were established in foreign countries. They performed functions of diplomatic missions and made effort to establish cross-border relations. The goal of the bureau was to inform German politicians about the situation in Lithuania and to secure political support for the newly re-established state of Lithuania.

In 2009, Račas was awarded the Medal of the Baltic Assembly for his role in the Lithuanian Reform Movement ‘Sąjūdis’ and for his work organizing the Baltic Way.

The awards ceremony at Vilnius University Hospital Santariškių Klinikos was attended by Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Evaldas Ignatavičius, members of the Seimas (Parliament) - Česlovas Stankevičius, Vilija Aleknaitė Abramikienė, Kęstutis Masiulis – also signatory of the Act on the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania Romualda Hofertienė and the hospital medical staff.