News

I welcome all of you to Lithuania, to Vilnius, and to this historic hall, where the democratically elected parliamentarians voted to restore our Independence in 1990. The day of our freedom became the day of hope and inspiration for many nations, especially those in the former USSR, and for all, who had sacrificed and suffered for freedom through the decades of the totalitarian nightmare.

It is very symbolic that on the 20th Anniversary of the restoration of Independence of Lithuania parliamentarians from Lithuania, United States of America and other countries from North and South America, Europe, and Asia gathered to this very hall to launch the Community of Democracies Parliamentary Forum.

This Forum was founded to complement the on-going cooperation between the Community of Democracies’ governments and non-governmental organizations.

And as we see it today, it was an important, wise and timely decision, made by like-minded democratically elected parliamentarians, who understand the importance of strong international cooperation in promoting and fostering democracy across the globe.

During this short period, important meetings in Cracow, Washington D.C., Brussels and Tbilisi have been held and the CoD Parliamentary Forum has already proved to be a very resilient organization and an active generator of great ideas.

We welcome the opening of the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Forum for Democracy in Vilnius as a tool for implementing concrete steps to foster and protect democracy worldwide. We hope that branches of the Secretariat will start functioning in other capitals, supporting democratic opposition movements and human rights activists across the globe.

The dimension of democracy is a permanent component of Lithuania’s foreign policy.

As a member of the European Union Lithuania has always stood and remains at the forefront  in supporting the people of Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. We are not just neighbors – we share painful history, we understand their dreams and aspirations. We offer and gladly share our experience in building democratic institutions and democratic practices and we are committed to support the open door policy of the European Union as a very effective way to promote democratic reforms in the neighboring countries.

Having navigated ourselves successfully through the challenges of becoming a true democracy, we fully understand how important it is to have friends, supporting your dreams and aspirations. Friends indeed are those who are not afraid of telling the truth, pointing out mistakes and who are ready to help when help needed and appreciated.

Parliamentary co-operation along transatlantic lines is crucial at this moment and as a Member of the Lithuanian Seimas I am deeply committed to its principles. At the same time, I am happy to see how it grows, finding new friends - the friends of democracy in the frame of this Forum.

I am sure that today’s deliberations will open new horizons on how to offer a friendly hand to people under dictatorships and authoritarian regimes because sooner or later they will prevail in their quest for democracy.

A move from oppression to freedom is not an easy ride, and free elections are only a great start of a long journey. A full-fledged democracy requires legislation and regulatory framework to build democratic institutions as well as democratic practices to make democracy work. It is a tough job. It requires vision and great self-discipline. Therefore, your collective experience is indispensable in helping emerging parliamentary democracies across the globe.

Let us not forget that awakening democracies are not irreversible. In some cases, authoritarian leaders falsely claim to offer better economic life at the price of silencing the voice of the people. Moreover, such undemocratic governments more and more often adopt the same tactics as those fighting for democracy. We have to pay greater attention to the problem of public misinformation, which has been recently heightened by the dangers of cyber-attacks..

As we pass the chairmanship of the Community of Democracies to Mongolia, let me express my hope that Mongolia will organize a meeting of the Parliamentary Forum for Democracy to further engage parliamentarians and representatives of Asian countries into the process of fostering democratic changes across the globe.

Finally, I welcome all of you, who gathered here to find better ways and practices to help those countries where political parties, rule of law and ideas of separation of powers scarcely exist. I wish you fruitful deliberations and a great time in my great country.