THE VOICE OF INTERNATIONAL LITHUANIA
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Archive for February, 2012
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Numismatics in VilNews!
VilNews has a new contributor, Frank Passic from Michigan, USA, who will be sharing with us his vast knowledge about Lithuanian numismatics. The above photo shows Frank’s grandfather who came to USA from the Varniai area in Western Lithuania near Telšiai in 1911. He had just won a fishing contest and was very proud…
Dear readers, we are delighted and honoured that Mr. Frank Passic from Michigan, USA, has graciously offered to share with us his vast knowledge of Lithuanian numismatics. Frank has collected, researched, and written about Lithuanian numismatics for many years. His educational displays of Lithuanian money have won numerous awards at state and national coin shows in the United States. Of Lithuanian heritage, his maternal grandparents emigrated from Lithuania to America just prior to World War I. Frank may be contacted at: albionfp@hotmail.com
He is one of the founders of the Lithuanian Numismatic Association which we operated for 30 years beginning in 1978. Some of his major articles about Lithuanian money are found on the www.albionmich.com website. On the homepage on the right, click on "FRANK PASSIC, Albion Historian." Scroll down to where it says "LITHUANIAN ARTICLES" and click. You'll get a listing. Some articles of interest are: The medals of Petras Rimsa; Displaced Persons Camp Money, Lithuanian Lodge tokens of Chicago," and others.
There is also a book published by the Michigan State University Press in 2009 entitled "Lithuanians in Michigan" by Marius Grazulis which is interesting. It is still in print and available. It has a picture of Frank’s maternal grandfather Nikodemas Kulikauskas (1890-1975). He had come to America from Lithuania in 1911. He was from the greater Varniai area. The above photo of his grandfather is a classic photo of him when he worked at the local factory in Michigan. He had won a company fishing contest and he was so proud!
More articles to follow!
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Numismatics in VilNews!
VilNews has a new contributor, Frank Passic from Michigan, USA, who will be sharing with us his vast knowledge about Lithuanian numismatics. The above photo shows Frank’s grandfather who came to USA from the Varniai area in Western Lithuania near Telšiai in 1911. He had just won a fishing contest and was very proud…
Dear readers, we are delighted and honoured that Mr. Frank Passic from Michigan, USA, has graciously offered to share with us his vast knowledge of Lithuanian numismatics. Frank has collected, researched, and written about Lithuanian numismatics for many years. His educational displays of Lithuanian money have won numerous awards at state and national coin shows in the United States. Of Lithuanian heritage, his maternal grandparents emigrated from Lithuania to America just prior to World War I. Frank may be contacted at: albionfp@hotmail.com
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Palle Gravesen Jensen.
A Danish expat to Lithuania, owner of two manufacturing companies, Electronic House and Metalco Baltic. Member of the board of the Danish Chamber of Commerce (DCC) in Lithuania. His family was one of the three families founding the Vilnius International School.
There are a number of issues to discuss with regards to Lithuania of today, the country I made my own 16 years ago, moving from my homeland Denmark.
One particular question, however, comes to my mind again and again: What is this country going to live on 20 years from now. It is a big question. My concern is there will not be much at all if nothing is done immediately.
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IKEA to open in Vilnius in 2013
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The first Baltic store of IKEA, the world's leading furniture retailer, is going to be opened in Vilnius in 2013, with more than 100 million euros to be invested in what will be the largest furniture retail complex in the Baltics.
The owners of UAB Felit currently own and operate the IKEA franchise in Iceland, Miklatorg hf., and have a long track-record in the retail business as well as developing and operating commercial real estate such as shopping centres.
Commenting on the announcement Mr. Sigurdur Palmason, Chairman, UAB Felit says: “We are delighted to soon be on the ground in Vilnius. When IKEA enters a new country it is a significant investment and a long term commitment. We are confident that the IKEA concept will appeal to the people of Lithuania and as the IKEA vision states, create a better everyday life for the many people.”
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Swedbank is funding construction operations of the IKEA shopping centre in Vilnius
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Swedbank provided funding in the amount of EUR 30m to the Company Fe Real Estate investing in the acquisition of the land plot and construction of the IKEA shopping centre. It is planned that the shopping centre and the enterprise park will grow near Vilnius International Airport in 2013. Swedbank will be the main creditor of the construction operations of the would-be shopping centre.
“IKEA’s entrance to the Lithuanian market was long-awaited. We appreciate partnership with this company and are happy that our financial solutions will contribute to the implementation of the project“, – says Vytautas Bučiūnas, Head of the Corporate Banking division at Swedbank in Lithuania.
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Antanas Danys,
Head of Swedbank Lithuania.
Swedbank Lithuania reported a profit of LTL 162m in Q4 and LTL 592m for 2011. Net profit increased by LTL 554m year on year. The improved result was mainly due to net recoveries.
Excluding impairments, the bank’s profit amounted to LTL 330m in 2011. Total income increased by LTL 90m in 2011 and reached LTL 711m.
In 2011 GDP grew by 5.8 per cent in Lithuania compared to the previous year. Overall economic growth was more broadly-based, and was mainly driven by exports as well as domestic demand that grew considerably during the second half of 2011. GDP growth is expected to slow down in 2012 due to euro-zone issues and a deteriorating global outlook.
"The increase in Swedbank’s net profit goes hand in hand with Lithuania’s successful return to growth in 2011. A positive economic outlook as well as the improved financial situation of our customers are both reflected in net recoveries, which continued to improve, - said Antanas Danys, Head of Swedbank Lithuania. However, the growth is expected to slow down in 2012 due to challenges in the global macro environment that were already visible in Q4 2011. The profit allows us keeping the bank well-capitalised and ready for facing the external risks”.
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Why dignity matters for Lithuania
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Jonas Basanavičius,
the "Patriarch of Lithuania".
On the 16th of February it was exactly 94 years since a group of brave men wrote the Lithuanian declaration of independence after the country had been under Tsarist Russia's iron heel through more than 100 years. These men represented a generation that certainly felt an overwhelming sense of pride at the dawn of renewed independence.
What these men presented from the balcony of a house in Pilies street here in Vilnius Old Town was not much more than a piece of paper. But it was a paper that symbolized a nation willing to throw off the yoke. A nation that had won back its self respect and dignity in spite of the injustice and oppression that had been going on since the Russian occupation started in 1795.
We salute these men for their courage and foresight. We salute them because they, in faith, hope and dignity clearly showed that Lithuania wanted to live up to its proud history as a nation of greatness.
Great nations are founded on self-belief!
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Lithuanian economy in 2012:
From swift recovery
to lower growth
Rokas Bancevičius, Senior analyst, DNB Bank.
This year we celebrate the independence day of Lithuania surrounded by the uncertain economic environment. Lithuania was one of the top growing economies in the EU in 2011 but we are not expecting more of the same in 2012. The key challenges for Lithuania this year will be escalations of debt crisis in the eurozone and the general elections in Lithuania this autumn.
Lithuania’s GDP expanded by an impressive 5.8% last year up from 1.4% in 2010. This result is second best in the EU as Lithuania is surpassed by Estonia only. Lithuanian exports expanded by 16% yoy in real terms in the first nine months of the year. However, the end of 2011 witnessed an economic slowdown as contracting EU economy and uncertainty over sovereign debt crisis started weighting on Lithuanian business. This effect was especially pronounced for exporters.
While 2011 was a successful year for Lithuania, future holds several major challenges. The most prominent is the Europe’s sovereign debt crisis that has already started weighting on the real sectors with EU’s economy contracting in the last quarter of 2011 by 0.3 per cent. This will affect Lithuania’s exports more than half of which goes to EU members. On the positive side, Lithuania mostly exports to countries with relatively good growth prospects - Germany, Poland, Latvia, Estonia and non-EU Russia. According to the survey of Lithuanian Manufacturers, undertaken by Lithuanian Manufacturers Confederation, 53 per cent of industry managers expect stable (neither higher nor lower) amount of export orders in 2012.
Another major concern when looking into 2012 is Lithuania’s refinancing risk. Government has to refinance c. LTL5.7bn (EUR1.65bn) of debt and to borrow additionally c. LTL3bn (EUR0.86bn) to cover budget deficit. Government has already raised c. LTL4bn (EUR1.15bn) by issuing a 10-year USD denominated bond at the yield of 6.75%. This sum is sufficient to meet all obligations in the coming months and to redeem EUR1bn bond maturing this May. Nevertheless, government will still have to tap international markets again later this year. Should market funding become too expensive, government might be forced to turn to IMF for an emergency loan. This could result in additional austerity measures and more output contraction. However, this risk was diminished by recent developments in Greece where politicians passed additional austerity measures.
Lithuania’s internal problems are as prominent as external ones. Labor market remains weak. While number of unemployed people fell by a fifth last year to 222 thsd. level of unemployment remained high at 13.9% at the end of 2011. This weighs on consumer confidence and limits growth of domestic demand. The problem is structural unemployment as companies report the lack of skilled labor force while majority of unemployed are not qualified or have liberal art degrees. This as well as emigration will have severe negative consequences on economic growth and state finances in the long-run. Nevertheless, the short-run economic developments will depend on the solutions of the Eurozone crisis and on the outcome of elections in Lithuania this autumn.
The risk of overspending by politicians in the pre-election cycle did not materialize in Lithuania as Government continued its budget consolidation in 2012. However, the uncertainty of the outcome of the new ruling coalition and the uncertainty whether the new Government continues with the current fiscal conservativism and strategic projects (LNG terminal and Visaginas power plant) makes it very difficult to forecast for 2013.
Overall, 2012 will be the year of slower growth and further stabilization in the economy. We expect Lithuania’s GDP to grow in the region between 2.5 – 3 per cent compared to 5.8 per cent in 2011. If Greece crisis is contained and Europe returns to growth at the second half of 2012 Lithuanian economy will end up growing at the higher rate of this range.
Rokas Bancevičius, Senior analyst
Rokas Bancevičius is an acting head of the DNB Economic Research Unit. He holds MSc in Economic and Social History from Oxford University and BSc in Economics from University of Birmingham.
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Lithuanian economy in 2012:
From swift recovery
to lower growth
Rokas Bancevičius, Senior analyst, DNB Bank.
This year we celebrate the independence day of Lithuania surrounded by the uncertain economic environment. Lithuania was one of the top growing economies in the EU in 2011 but we are not expecting more of the same in 2012. The key challenges for Lithuania this year will be escalations of debt crisis in the eurozone and the general elections in Lithuania this autumn.
Overall, 2012 will be the year of slower growth and further stabilization in the economy. We expect Lithuania’s GDP to grow in the region between 2.5 – 3 per cent compared to 5.8 per cent in 2011. If Greece crisis is contained and Europe returns to growth at the second half of 2012 Lithuanian economy will end up growing at the higher rate of this range.
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Illustration: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Eastern European criminals were responsible for more than 11,000 crimes in London last year. Nationals of Poland, Romania and Lithuania were most likely of all foreigners to be prosecuted by the police, an investigation has revealed, according to Mail Online.
Overall, foreigners are accused of one in four of all crimes committed in London.
Astonishingly, they make up nine out of ten drug suspects and are responsible for more than one in three sex offences.
One in four of the East European assailants were Lithuanians, while criminals from Poland
accounted for around 50%. But the percentage in proportion to population shows that Lithuania towers on top with a huge margin. In relation to population there were committed 6.5 times more crimes by Lithuanians than by Poles!
Terrible statistics for a small country that so desperately needs good forces in the recovery and new prosperity after all the years of Soviet oppression.
A report published by Associate Professor Aurelijus Gutauskas at Mykolas Romeris University's Law Faculty gives a very interesting insight into how the economic downturn has led to increased social disparities, crime, fraud and widespread shadow economy in Lithuania, ref https://vilnews.com/?p=6312#idc-container
EU homicide rate per 100 000 population,
average per year, 2007-2009
Homicide is a type of violent crime, and is defined as the intentional killing of a person, including murder, manslaughter, euthanasia and infanticide. It excludes death by dangerous driving, abortion and help with suicide. The national figures indicatethat Lithuania and Estonia have by far the highest incidence of homicides (over 8 and 5 victims respectively per 100 000 population).
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Illustration: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Eastern European criminals were responsible for more than 11,000 crimes in London last year. Nationals of Poland, Romania and Lithuania were most likely of all foreigners to be prosecuted by the police, an investigation has revealed, according to Mail Online.
Overall, foreigners are accused of one in four of all crimes committed in London.
Astonishingly, they make up nine out of ten drug suspects and are responsible for more than one in three sex offences.
One in four of the East European assailants were Lithuanians, while criminals from Poland
accounted for around 50%. But the percentage in proportion to population shows that Lithuania towers on top with a huge margin. In relation to population there were committed 6.5 times more crimes by Lithuanians than by Poles!
Terrible statistics for a small country that so desperately needs good forces in the recovery and new prosperity after all the years of Soviet oppression.
A report published by Associate Professor Aurelijus Gutauskas at Mykolas Romeris University's Law Faculty gives a very interesting insight into how the economic downturn has led to increased social disparities, crime, fraud and widespread shadow economy in Lithuania, ref https://vilnews.com/?p=6312#idc-container
EU homicide rate per 100 000 population,
average per year, 2007-2009
Homicide is a type of violent crime, and is defined as the intentional killing of a person, including murder, manslaughter, euthanasia and infanticide. It excludes death by dangerous driving, abortion and help with suicide. The national figures indicatethat Lithuania and Estonia have by far the highest incidence of homicides (over 8 and 5 victims respectively per 100 000 population).
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Lithuania to create new national airline
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According to Mayor of Vilnius Arturas Zuokas, the new airline will be named .airLituanica after the plane of the two American-Lithuanian pilots, Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas who in 1933 tried to beat Charles Lindberg’s non-stop distance record across the Atlantic by flying from New York City to Kaunas. Their Lituanica was an Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker airplane. After successfully flying 6,411 km, it crashed, 650 km from its destination, Kaunas. Both pilots were killed.
Ref: https://vilnews.com/?p=8867
Lithuanian authorities are taking steps to create a national carrier. According to Mayor of Vilnius Arturas Zuokas, the airline will be named .airLituanica, reported Diena.lt.
Lithuania leaders have criticized the current situation and say that every EU member states except Lithuania has its own national carrier.
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Lithuania does not want Serbia as EU member until the Kosovo issue is resolved
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Lithuania on Friday warned that would-be EU member Serbia has yet to meet the conditions to be granted formal candidate status next month, amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries.
"We regret that none of the conditions set at December's European Council summit have been fully implemented," foreign ministry spokeswoman Margarita Butkiene told AFP.
"We believe that the EU must demand from Serbia full implementation of the stated conditions," she added.
She underscored Serbia's failure to comply with demands for progress in EU-brokered talks on Kosovo, a mainly ethnic-Albanian region whose split four years ago Serbia has refused to recognise.
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Probably much less shale gas in Poland than previously assumed – what about Lithuania?
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Wieslaw Prugar, CEO of Orlen Upstream, and president of the Polish Exploration and Production Organization, says that the recoverable reserves of shale gas in Poland are probably several times fewer than 5.3 tcm, as estimated by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Similarly, less optimistic predictions were given by Pawel Poprawa of the Polish Geological Institute. “The [American] report overestimates acreage and production volume per unit,” Poprawa recently told Natural Gas Europe.
Wieslaw Prugar, speaking to a reporter from PiN Radio, also commented on the Polish government's shale gas development plans. According to Minister of Treasury Mikolaj Budzanowski, a production scale of at least 0.2 - 0.3 bcm should be reached no later than in 2015.
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Why dignity matters
for Lithuania
Jonas Basanavičius (23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of Lithuania's National Revival and founder of the first Lithuanian language newspaper Aušra. He was a signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania on 16 February 1918 Basanavičius is often given the unique informal honorific title of the "Patriarch of the Nation" for his contributions and help in re-establishing the Lithuanian state.
By Aage Myhre, Editor-in-Chief
aage.myhre@VilNews.com
“A man's country is not a certain area of land, of
mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle;
and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.”
- George William Curtis
It is 16 February 2012. It is today exactly 94 years since a group of brave men wrote the Lithuanian declaration of independence after the country had been under Tsarist Russia's iron heel through more than 100 years. These men represented a generation that certainly felt an overwhelming sense of pride at the dawn of renewed independence. The Act of February 16 was signed by all 20 representatives of the Council of Lithuania, proclaiming the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania, governed by democratic principles. The meeting and signing procedures were chaired by Jonas Basanavičius, the man often given the unique informal honorific title of the "Patriarch of the Nation" for his contributions and help in re-establishing the Lithuanian state.
What these men presented from the balcony of a house in Pilies street here in Vilnius Old Town was not much more than a piece of paper. But it was a paper that symbolized a nation willing to throw off the yoke. A nation that had won back its self respect and dignity in spite of the injustice and oppression that had been going on since the Russian occupation started in 1795.
We salute these men for their courage and foresight. We salute them because they, in faith, hope and dignity clearly showed that Lithuania wanted to live up to its proud history as a nation of greatness.
Great nations are founded on self-belief!
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OPINIONS
Have your say. Send to:
editor@VilNews.com
Ph. D., Chicago
A wave of unity sweeps the international Lithuanian community on March 11th every year as Lithuanians celebrated the anniversary of the Lithuanian Parliament's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. However, the sense of national unity engendered by the celebration could be short-lived.
Human beings have a strong tendency to overgeneralize and succumb to stereotypical us-them distinctions that can shatter even the strongest bonds. We need only search the internet to find examples of divisive thinking at work:
- "Those who fled Lithuania during World II were cowards -- and now they come back, flaunt their wealth, and tell us 'true Lithuanians' how to live."
- "Lithuanians who work abroad have abandoned their homeland and should be deprived of their Lithuanian citizenship."
In Lithuania Christmas Eve is a family event and the New Year's Eve a great party with friends!
Lithuanian say "Kaip sutiksi naujus metus, taip juos ir praleisi" (the way you'll meet the new year is the way you will spend it). So everyone is trying to spend New Year's Eve with friend and have as much fun as possible.
Lithuanian New Year's traditions are very similar to those in other countries, and actually were similar since many years ago. Also, the traditional Lithuanian New Years Eve party was very similar to other big celebrations throughout the year.
The New Year's Eve table is quite similar to the Christmas Eve table, but without straws under the tablecloth, and now including meat dishes. A tradition that definitely hasn't changes is that everybody is trying not to fell asleep before midnight. It was said that if you oversleep the midnight point you will be lazy all the upcoming year. People were also trying to get up early on the first day of the new year, because waking up late also meant a very lazy and unfortunate year.
During the New Year celebration people were dancing, singing, playing games and doing magic to guess the future. People didn't drink much of alcohol, especially was that the case for women.
Here are some advices from elders:
- During the New Year, be very nice and listen to relatives - what you are during New Year Eve, you will be throughout the year.
- During to the New Year Eve, try not to fall, because if this happens, next year you will be unhappy.
- If in the start of the New Year, the first news are good - then the year will be successful. If not - the year will be problematic.
* If New Year's night is cold and starry - look forward to a good summer!
* If the during New Year Eve trees are covered with frost - then it will be a good year. If it is wet weather on New Year's Eve, one can expect a year where many will die and dangerous epidemics occur.
* If the first day of the new year is snowy - the upcoming year will see many young people die. If the night is snowy - mostly old people will die.
* If the New Year time is cold - then Easter will be warm.
* If during New Year there are a lot of birds in your homestead - then all year around there will be many guests and the year will be fun.
Christmas greetings
from Vilnius
and epic battle for the
future
Philosopher, political theorist, historian of
ideas, social analyst, and political
commentator
Ukraine was and continues to be perceived by the EU political class as a sort of grey zone with its immense potential and possibilities for the future, yet deeply embedded and trapped in No Man's Land with all of its troubled past, post-Soviet traumas, ambiguities, insecurities, corruption, social divisions, and despair. Why worry for what has yet to emerge as a new actor of world history in terms of nation-building, European identity, and deeper commitments to transparency and free market economy?
Right? Wrong. No matter how troubled Ukraine's economic and political reality could be, the country has already passed the point of no return. Even if Vladimir Putin retains his leverage of power to blackmail Ukraine and the West in terms of Ukraine's zero chances to accede to NATO due to the problems of territorial integrity, occupation and annexation of Crimea, and mayhem or a frozen conflict in the Donbas region, Ukraine will never return to Russia's zone of influence. It could be deprived of the chances to join NATO or the EU in the coming years or decades, yet there are no forces on earth to make present Ukraine part of the Eurasia project fostered by Putin.
want to learn about the
new, scary propaganda
war between Russia,
The West and the
Baltic States!
believe their government
is corrupt
students say no to
bribes for doctors
During Soviet times, government was administered for the people in control, not for the local population, court decisions were decreed, they were not the administration of justice, and academia was the domain of ideologues. 25 years of freedom and openness should have put those bad experiences behind Lithuania, but that is not so.
Today, it is a matter of expectation that court pronouncements will be governed by ideological dictates. Few, if any Lithuanians expect real justice to be effected. For foreign companies, doing business in Lithuania is almost impossible in a situation where business people do not expect rule of law, so, surely Government would be a refuge of competence?
Lithuanian Government has not emerged from Soviet styles. In an attempt to devolve power, Lithuania has created a myriad of fiefdoms of power, each speaking in the name of the Government, each its own centralized power base of ideology.
Chepstow, Wales
Doesn't that sound suspiciously like Lithuania? Ah, but I didn't mention the mountains of Snowdonia, which would give the game away.
I'm talking about Wales, that part of the UK which Lithuanians used to call "Valija", but later named "Velsas" (why?). Wales, the nation which has welcomed two Lithuanian heads of state to its shores - firstly Professor Vytautas Landsbergis, who has paid several visits and, more recently, President Dalia Grybauskaitė who attended the 2014 NATO summit which was held in Newport, South Wales.
ENGLISH VERSION OF THE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF VYTAUTAS LANDSBERGIS.
Although Lithuanian activities have thinned over the decades as that postwar generation died out, the Lithuanian Martyrs' parish hall is crowded with many, many hundreds of visitors who come to the Lithuanian cemetery for All Souls' Day. Similarly, the Franciscan parish has standing room only for Christmas Eve mass.
Although I am firmly embedded in the literary culture of Canada, my themes are usually Lithuanian, and I'll be in Kaunas and Vilnius in mid-November 2015 to give talks about the Lithuanian translations of my novels and short stories, which I write in English.
If you have the Lithuanian language, come by to one of the talks listed in the links below. And if you don't, you can read more about my work at
www.anatanassileika.com
http://www.vdu.lt/lt/rasytojas-antanas-sileika-pristatys-savo-kuryba/ https://leu.lt/lt/lf/lf_naujienos/kvieciame-i-rasytojo-59hc.html
"My love and best wishes to all. As long as VilNews exists, there is hope for the future,"" she writes.
Irena Veisaite means very much for our publication, and we do hereby thank her for the support and wise commitment she always shows.
You can read our interview with her
Facing a new reality
Dear readers of VilNews,
For a number of years, the EU and Russia had assumed the existence of a strategic partnership, based on the convergence of values, economic integration and increasingly open markets and a modernisation agenda for society.
Our agenda was positive and ambitious. We looked at Russia as a country ready to converge with "European values", a country likely to embrace both the basic principles of democratic government and a liberal concept of the world order. It was believed this would bring our relations to a new level, covering the whole spectrum of the EU's strategic relationship with Russia.
The likelihood of Putin
invading Lithuania
.jpg "lithuania today")
Founding Director at Summer Literary Seminars
Are all Lithuanian energy
problems now resolved?
Lithuania as a country does not have significant energy resources. Energy consuming infrastructure after WWII was small and totally supported by energy imports from Russia.
First nuclear reactor begins power generation at Ignalina in 1983, the second reactor in 1987. Iganlina generates enough electricity to cover Lithuania's needs and about 50%.for export. As, prerequisite for membership in EU, Ignalina ceases all nuclear power generation in 2009
The Klaipėda Sea terminal begins Russia's oil export operations in 1959 and imports in 1994.
Mazeikiu Nafta (current ORLEAN Lietuva) begins operation of oil refinery in 1980.
Have Lithuanian ties across
the Baltic Sea become
stronger in recent years?
The two decades that have passed since regaining Lithuania's independence can be described as a "building boom". From the wreckage of a captive Soviet republic, a generation of Lithuanians have built a modern European state, and are now helping construct a Nordic-Baltic community replete with institutions intended to promote political coordination and foster a trans-Baltic regional identity. Indeed, a "Nordic-Baltic community" - I will explain later in my text the meaning of this catch-phrase.
Since the restoration of Lithuania's independence 25 years ago, we have continuously felt a strong support from Nordic countries. Nordics in particular were among the countries supporting Lithuania's and Baltic States' striving towards independence. Take example of Iceland, country which recognized Lithuania in February of 1991, well in advance of other countries. Yet another example - Swedish Ambassador was the first ambassador accredited to Lithuania in 1991. The other countries followed suit. When we restored our statehood, Nordic Countries became champions in promoting Baltic integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. To large degree thanks Nordic Countries, massive transformations occurred in Lithuania since then, Lithuania became fully-fledged member of the EU and NATO, and we joined the Eurozone on 1 January 2015.
Have you heard about the
South African "Pencil Test"?
But that is exactly what happened to me when I came back from South Africa. I will tell you how.
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