On 12 January, the Ambassador Audra Plepytė, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the United Nations, was elected as the President of the Bureau of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Lithuania's Presidency will focus on protecting children’s rights and well-being, mitigating the negative consequences of COVID-19 on children worldwide, as well as distance learning, the use of new technology and innovations to promote children’s well-being, the prevention of bullying, keeping children safe in cyberspace, and ensuring equal opportunities for girls and children with disabilities.
On 12 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis received a letter from Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who requested replacing the official Lithuanian name 'Baltarusija' with a form that would be more similar to the one used in the Belarusian language.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya argues in her letter that by changing the name of the country Lithuania would show respect for the sovereignty of its neighbour and would support the linguistic and cultural identity of the Belarusian people.
On 11 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis had a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi and discussed good relations between Lithuania and Israel. The Foreign Ministers expressed their belief that bilateral political and economic cooperation would be further strengthened.
On 14 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis announced the laureate of Global Lithuanian Awards 2020 for lifetime achievements.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania has given the award posthumously to the sociologist, educator, social activist, Honorable Chair of the Lithuanian Community in Germany, founder of the Lithuanian Cultural Institute in Lampertheim-Hüttenfeld, Germany - Dr. Vincas Bartusevičius (1939-2020).
Vilnius-born startup Biomatter Designs that pioneers the technologies for generative protein design, has raised €500,000 in seed funding led by Practica Capital, accompanied by 70V and angel investors. The raised capital will be used to further develop the company’s protein design technology and product pipeline.
Having grown one and a half times over the past year, cybersecurity solution company Tesonet is expanding its offices in the Green Hall 1 business centre in Vilnius and has signed a contract for letting a further 800 square metres of premises. The rapidly growing IT company’s offices at the Green Hall business valley are increasing in size by fifty per cent, reaching almost 2,400 square metres.
While the world is still getting used to the idea of 5G and how it will shape the new age of tech, ambitious Lithuanian engineers are already making their way through developing the technology behind the 6G wireless.
With the deployment of the fifth generation network, Lithuanian scientists have already kicked-off the groundwork for the sixth-gen network. It will be based on high frequency terahertz waves, which are presumed to correct the flaws of 5G’s mmWave network, and contribute to heightened development of artificial intelligence, holographic communications and high precision manufacturing.
The year 2020 will go down in history of the Port of Klaipėda as the most successful year throughout the lifetime of the Port of Klaipėda. According to preliminary data, last year 47.74 million tons of cargo were handled in the Port of Klaipėda. The best result so far was achieved in 2018 when 46.58 tons of cargo were handled in the port.
The 30th anniversary of the defense of independence of Lithuania was marked under unusual circumstances. For the first time ever after 1991, the Seimas did not hold a traditional solemn commemoration. Instead, it called on the people of Lithuania to pay tribute to the defenders of freedom by lighting candles in their homes and to view the recorded broadcast of the commemoration of the Day of the Defenders of Freedom and the Freedom Prize award ceremony.
Lithuania has approved "Sakartvelas" (Sakartvelo) as its official name for Georgia, meaning that it has to be used in all official Lithuanian-language documents.
"Sakartvelas is the official name now," Audrys Antanaitis, chairman of the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language (VLKK)
The European Film Promotion (EFP) has announced that Lithuanian actress Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė has been shortlisted among the ten talented newcomer actors selected for the European Shooting Stars 2021!
For her first leading role in Andrius Blaževičius’ second feature film Runner, which was presented as part of the online Karlovy Vary Eastern Promises programme, Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė from Lithuaniareceived high praise from the experts: ″Elena proves a force of nature, full of passion and raw energy that virtually leaps off the screen”.
A new generation of Lithuanians has grown up since the country declared independence and defended it from Soviet troops 30 years ago. People who were kids in 1991 recall how they experienced the events of January 13 – and what it means to them today.
Winters like this are a real treat for those longing for fairytale-like views. Snow-covered forests and hills, frozen lakes and white meadows. | Credits @ Lithuania. Real is Beatiful
Highlight of the Week
Visual instaliation on the building of Ministry of Foreign Affairs to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Day of Freedom Fighters
On 7 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis had a telephone conversation with the U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and discussed topical issues of cooperation between Lithuania and the U.S., and international security policy.
On 6 January, Ministers of 13 member states of the European Union called on the European Commissioners for health and for international cooperation with the EU partners, as well as on the European Commission to set up a support mechanism to allow the Eastern Partnership countries to secure early access to COVID-19 vaccine.
Eneba, a Lithuanian marketplace startup which sells games and other gaming related products, just has raised €6.55 million in funding from InReach Ventures, Practica Capital FJ Labs and a group of business angels. Read more
Lithuania’s fintech ecosystem continued to grow in 2020 on the back of government-led initiatives, favorable regulations, and booming digital finance activities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Q3 2020, Lithuania is home to more than 200 fintech companies and had issued 121 licenses going towards electronic money institutions (EMIs) and payment institutions (PIs). These figures make Lithuania one of the largest fintech hubs in Europe by number of licensed companies.
LTG Infra, the company responsible for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project in Lithuania, has launched the second stage of a tender, during which it will select a contractor for the railway bridge over the river Neris near Jonava. This will be the longest railway bridge in the Baltic States, spanning more than 1.5 kilometres.
Ondato, the digital & biometric authentication company, announces its expansion into Europe naming London as its new HQ. The business will now be based in London’s Canary Wharf district, using technology developed at its R&D center in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the company was founded. During 2021, Ondato will also be looking to expand in Germany, France, and Spain, after raising seed capital from Startup Wise Guys and OTB Ventures, Europe’s largest VC firm focussed on tech start-ups with a strong footprint in Central and Eastern Europe.
The first interactive Balts’ culture promotion centre in Lithuania and Latvia is waiting to open its doors to visitors after the quarantine. The main goal of this centre and the whole project LLI-187 “International Cultural Route Balts’ Road”, abbr. “Balts’ Road”, is to promote travelling and getting to know tangible and intangible cultural and natural heritage of Balts. Travel routes in the Baltic lands have been developed, there is a tourist guide, a website wwww.baltukelias.lt, and now, a unique space that will help to introduce to the past of Balts’ culture and its manifestations at present.
Vilnius Ghetto is a place of tragic Holocaust memories, yet even there, life and hope endured. The Ghetto’s cultural heritage apparently reveals it better than anything.
This virtual tour explores arts, education and creative endeavours within the Ghetto and the people behind them. The people who looked after Jewish culture in horrifying circumstances.
Some of the objects are long gone, many of them have changed a lot throughout the years as most of the local Jewish community, which was once very big and vital in Kaunas, was killed during WW2.
Founded in 1925, the Kaunas Municipal Vincas Kudirka Public Library is one of Lithuania’s oldest institutions of the kind. It’s also one of the most innovative ones – its creative team continually surprises us with new projects and initiatives beyond the traditional book sharing system.
A Lithuanian photographer whose drone shots made headlines around the world during the first Covid-19 lockdown, has taken to the skies once again, this time to help the people of Vilnius celebrate Christmas.
With Lithuania calling a nationwide lockdown in the lead-up to the Christmas and New Year holidays, residents of the country’s capital Vilnius are once again making the most of the situation – this time by sharing the holiday spirit from a safe distance.
Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in cooperation with Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invites you to join a virtual exhibition tour by dr. Lara Lempertienė.