Honorary Consulate of Republic of Lithuania in Tanzania

Weekly News from Lithuania, June 5

POLITICS

The RAF’s contribution to Baltic Air Policing, Operation Azotize, involves working and training alongside a host of other NATO partners | Credits @ Royal Air Force

Lithuania helps to solve humanitarian crisis in Yemen

On 2 June, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Neris Germanas participated in a video conference of international donors of Yemen, which was organized by the United Nations and Saudi Arabia. N. Germanas announced Lithuania’s decision to allocate EUR 100, 000 in humanitarian aid to Yemen. The funds will be transferred to the UN’s Yemen Humanitarian Fund.

On 3 June, the Government approved the proposal by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resume scheduled flights to Paris, Copenhagen, Billund, Nice, and Turku.

SAS, Wizz Air, and airBaltic had requested resumption of flights: airBaltic will fly from Vilnius to Paris and back, SAS will operate return flights from Vilnius and Palanga to Copenhagen, while Wizz Air will fly from Vilnius to Billund, Paris, Nice and back, and from Kaunas to Turku and back.

On 2 June in Tallinn, Estonia, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Baltic states and Poland discussed responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and steps taken by the countries to ease their coronavirus lockdown.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister welcomed the close and smooth cooperation among Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in creating a so-called “travel bubble” or corridor among the Baltic countries. The Foreign Minister voiced hope that our neighbours – Poland and Finland – would join in the near future.

On 3 June, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) and the Visegrád Group held a video conference to discuss key political issues, including the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and attempts to tackle its negative effects in the European Union.

“The EU must maintain its strategic interest in and attention on Eastern partners. Otherwise, we risk creating a vacuum that will quickly be filled by other players," the Minister L. Linkevičius warned, talking about the Eastern Partnership policy.

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BUSINESS & SCIENCE

Interview with Arūnė Matelytė, Manager of GovTech Lab Lithuania

GovTech Lab Lithuania was founded last year and aims to bring together public sector challenges and tech solutions. In this interview from NordicBaltic. Tech, a partnership between PUBLIC Denmark and the Nordic Council of Ministers, we spoke to Arūnė Matelytė, Manager of GovTech Lab Lithuania, to hear how the Covid-19 crisis has prompted an influx of GovTech startups that are innovating to solve public sector challenges.

Air pollution remains one of the most serious issues facing the world today, even though air quality has improved a lot due to recent pandemic restrictions. It is common for us to think about outdoor air pollution, but indoor air quality – office, home, or education institution – is equally important. Students, who came from Georgia to study at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU), tried to solve this problem by designing a multifunctional device that resembles a waterfall to purify air within large public premises.

For quite some time Kaunas has been in the spotlight for various analysts ranking startup ecosystems. This year Kaunas reached its so far highest position — 112th globally amongst 1000 other cities and destinations. In the latest rankings published by an international research centre StartupBlink Global Kaunas stands out as a city with favorable business environment for new businesses.

A company operating in the Klaipėda Free Economic Zone in western Lithuania will start producing biofuel out of used cooking oil collected in the country.

“The European Commission strongly encourages the repurposing of this waste,” Arūnas Zubas, CEO of Mestilla, is quoted in the press release.

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Unity: A Decade of Success in Lithuania | Credits @ Invest Lithuania

CULTURE & HISTORY

1 June a nationwide campaign ‘Thank You, Lithuania!’ will take place to show gratitude to the Lithuanian people for the successful efforts in overcoming the first wave of Covid-19
| Credits @ Lithuanian Government

Musicians provide 'medicine for the soul' across Lithuania

Hundreds of bands took their music to the streets of Lithuania on Monday to lift people's spirits as the Baltic EU member allowed public gatherings again after months of coronavirus lockdown.

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Around Lithuania on Two Wheels

Challenge yourself – explore Lithuania by bike! Lithuania is the geographical center of Europe, so it is very easy to reach. But once you are here, you’ll discover that the country is one of Northern Europe’s undiscovered gems.

Vilnius has offered a possibility to buy special memorial benches in the city, which can be a great graduation gift from a class, a surprise for a married couple, a gratitude or a commemoration of a noble mission, which the Lithuanian Multiple Sclerosis Union (LMSU) did today.

https://vilnius.lt/en/2020/05/...

Fania Lewando – The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook author

In 2015, the world was introduced to The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook in English. This book survived by a miracle. Published in 1938 in Yiddish by Fania Lewando, a Jew from Vilnius,* it disappeared after the Second World War. By chance, a copy of the book was found in a London antiquarian book fair, purchased, and donated as an item of historic value to the YIVO* in New York.

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Sąjūdis, Lithuania’s movement for independence from the Soviet Union,
was founded 32 years ago on June 3, 2020 | Credits @ LRT

June 15-18

Fintech Week Lithuania

Fintech Week Lithuania is a global virtual fintech conference that will be broadcasted in a virtual studio format, featuring a unique virtual expo, as well as a virtual B2B area for online business meetings.

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GLOBAL LITHUANIA

Lithuania opens Honorary Consulate in Spain

On 1 June, Lithuania opened its fifth Honorary Consulate in Santander, the capital of the region of Cantabria on the north coast of Spain. Ana Belén Gutiérrez Lavín will head the consulate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs.

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, viewers could watch live streaming of the opening of the Honorary Consulate of Lithuania. The Ambassador of Lithuania to Spain Skaistė Aniulienė opened the Honorary Consulate and noted that Lithuania was interested in developing relations with the region that was important for tourism and industry in Spain.

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Highlight of the Week

Thank you, Lithuania! performance of Diplomatic Choir at the Lukiskiu sq, Vilnius

Vilnius
Photo credits @ Jurijus Azanovas / MFA

Jun 08 2020

POLITICS

Lithuania and Poland moves towards a joint electricity network | Credits @ Ministry of Energy

Lithuania Contributes to the Funding of Production of Face Masks for Prevention of COVID-19 in Bhutan

Lithuanian Embassy in New Delhi today signed the agreement to fund the production of face masks in Bhutan. The project will supplement Royal Government’s of Bhutan efforts in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and will allow to produce locally 46,000 two and three ply layer masks that primarily will be distributed to the frontline workers and those who need them most.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius had a telephone conversation with the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Heiko Mass.

The interlocutors discussed the upcoming Eastern Partnership summit. “I hope that Germany will continue to support the Eastern Partnership, which has to remain the EU’s strategic direction also in the future. This is a critical success factor. Thus, it is of great importance to support the motivation and the pro-European direction of our Eastern partners," said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.

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Thank You, Lithuania!

Next Monday, 1 June, a nationwide campaign ‘Thank You, Lithuania’ will take place to show gratitude to the Lithuanian people for the successful efforts in overcoming the first wave of COVID-19 and to ask them to continue staying focused and hopeful, so as to be ready to confront any other challenges lying do it again.

The campaign ‘Thank you, Lithuania’ will start at 17.00 hrs. on 1 June all across the country, its cities and towns, with music sounds filling squares or parks or coming from the top of administrative and cultural buildings.

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BUSINESS & SCIENCE

Global startup survey StartupBlink has ranked our startup ecosystem 15th in the world in its new 2020 report, which maps 1,000 cities across 100 countries. Our thriving Fintech hub outclassed established rivals including Denmark, Ireland and Norway | Credits @ Invest Lithuania

Invest Lithuania among the winners of Investors’ Forum Awards

The launch of direct flights between Vilnius and London City airports in May 2019 has been voted the ‘Best Decision for the Improvement of the Business Climate’ in the annual awards of Lithuania’s Investors’ Forum.

There is a growing awareness that the quality of life and the future of societies are inseparable from the sustainable use of marine and coastal resources. Today’s challenges also open up great opportunities for the Blue Growth startups, representing marine fields such as aquaculture, blue biotechnology or related topics.

A unique place in Europe, ideal to disconnect from social networks yet offering continuous news channels and reconnection with nature, Nida is located one hour by car from Klaipéda and four hours from Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius. “More than 100 kilometers of fine sand await you in this paradisiac place, almost cut from the rest of the world,” explains EBD.

The Square of the Constituent Seimas and the Daugirdas Amphitheater are two new places where Kaunas residents and guests will be attracted by not only the picturesque fountain or the Nemunas coast, but also appetizing food flavors. Until now, food trade from specialized cars was allowed only during mass events and at Lake Lampėdis and Kaunas Lagoon. According to the decision of Kaunas City Council, from now on it will take place in the city center as well.

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		NY Baltic Film Festival 1:55 AM - May 29, 2020

?Stay at home with NY Baltic FF ? BRIDGES OF TIME (by Kristīne Briede & Audrius Stonys), a doc about the Baltic New Wave of documentary cinema, is the Film of the Week at DAFilms Americas and now streaming in the US - along with many other films of Audrius Stonys ? ?????: bit.ly/StreamBridgesOfTime

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CULTURE & HISTORY

The Hill of Crosses shouts for remembering with forget-me nots | Credits @ We love Lithuania

Lithuania's sole cat museum purrs for visitors amid quarantine

The cat museum in Šiauliai, northern Lithuania, marked its 30th anniversary on May 22. Despite attracting thousands of visitors each year, the celebrations were emptier than usual due to the ongoing quarantine.

After World War I, the small central Lithuanian city of Kaunas suddenly and unexpectedly became the de facto capital of a European state. This surprising situation was the result of a dispute over the current capital, Vilnius: the Republic of Lithuania claimed Vilnius as the historic capital of the medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but Poland also laid claim to it on the grounds of its large Polish-speaking population. After changing hands several times in the years after the Russian Revolution, a coup was staged in 1920 by Polish general Lucjan Żeligowski, creating a short-lived Republic of Central Lithuania, which was soon absorbed into the Polish state. Lithuanian hopes of recovering the city in the near-term seemed distant.

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		Lietuvos ambasada Vašingtone / Embassy of Lithuania in Washington, D.C. 3:53 PM - May 26, 2020

On June 1, #Lithuania will become an open-air concert hall. That day more than 250 musicians will perform across country's parks, courtyards, from the top of cultural and administrative buildings, etc. in a nationwide campaign ‘#ThankYou, Lithuania’. The initiator of the concert- the Office of the Government- says that the campaign is aimed to show gratitude to the Lithuanian people for the successful efforts in overcoming the first wave of #COVID19. Photos below are from the previous concerts held to show solidarity with people under quarantine. Photos: D. Matvejev, R.Ančerevičius, E.Ovčarenko.

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June 2

Post COVID-19 world: In Search for the Best Supports for Global Recovery | Webinar

Join in a virtual webinar and a discussion with the Lithuanian ambassador to the European Union Jovita Neliupšiene, Nobel prize winner professor Robert J. Shiller and Chief of FT Brussels Bureau Sam Fleming

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May 25 - 29

Africa Days 2020

Lithuania celebrates international Africa Day online - with concerts, live discussions and more.

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May 27 -29

9th Litvak Days in London 2020

This year the Lithuanian embassy in United Kingdom is hosting the ??? ?????? ???? ?? ??????, but, for the first time, the in-person encounters will have to be substituted by what organisers hope will be similarly enjoyable, enriching, and stimulating virtual meetings.

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