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In Vilnius, the stories told by the globe’s press photographers grow in importance, as they are told in the place that witnessed tyranny and oppression, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis said at the opening of the World Press Photo Exhibition on 6 June in Vilnius.

“Symbolically, today the picture stories from the hottest spots, from the “front lines” of our daily life are displayed here, at Lukiškės Square. For centuries the square, as well as the Museum of Genocide Victims, had witnessed repressions against freedom fighters, rebellious souls and nonconformist thinkers,” the Minister said.

The Minister stressed that there were still countries, where journalists were condemned to silence and photojournalists where the ones who conveyed the key messages to the world. 

“Photographs are much harder to censor. Images from hot spots are more convincing and say more than a thousand words,” the Minister said.

It is exciting that residents and guests of Vilnius have a possibility to view the best press photos of the 2010 World Press Photo Contest at the same time as people in Paris, Madrid, Moscow, Tokyo and other capital cities world-wide. 

“The photographs in this exhibition are of the highest professional quality. They are often disturbing.  Many are remarkably breathtaking.  And they all tell us “a story”,” A.Ažubalis said.

The exhibition was co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Lithuania and Vilnius city municipality.

The exhibition was opened on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The opening of this exhibition is an introduction to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairmanship Conference on the Safety of Journalists, which starts on 7 June. 

The opening of the exhibition was also attended by OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Lithuania Josephus Wijnands, the Mayor of Vilnius, two Lithuanian finalists of the World Press Photo Exhibition - Antanas Ališauskas (in 1969) and Irena Giedraitienė (in 1974) – Vilniusites, media representatives and others.

The World Press Photo Exhibition is annually displayed in forty countries around the world. For the first time, the exhibition is organized outdoor.

 The exhibition at Lukiškės Square in Vilnius will run until July 3 and entrance is free.