Foreign relations of Lithuania

Lithuania became a member of the United Nations on September 18, 1991, and is a signatory to a number of its organizations and other international agreements. It is also a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO and its adjunct North Atlantic Coordinating Council, the Council of Europe, and the European Union. Lithuania gained membership in the World Trade Organization on May 31 2001. It also seeks membership in the OECD and other Western organizations.

Lithuania maintains foreign diplomatic missions in 94 countries on six continents and consular posts in two countries that are not represented by an embassy. Lithuania's liberal "zero-option" citizenship law has substantially erased tensions with its neighbors. Lithuania's suspension of two strongly ethnic Polish district councils on charges of blocking reform or disloyalty during the August 1991 coup had cooled relations with Poland, but bilateral cooperation markedly increased with the holding of elections in those districts and the signing of a bilateral Friendship Treaty in 1994. Relations with Poland are now among the closest enjoyed by Lithuania. Although a similar bilateral friendship agreement was signed with Belarus in 1995, Lithuania has joined the United States and other European nations in urging the Government of Belarus to adopt democratic and economic reforms.

Relations with other countries

Lithuania has established diplomatic relations with 149 countries. [ [http://www.urm.lt/index.php?949836981 Ministry of Foreign Affairs: List of countries with which Lithuania has established diplomatic relations] ]

Baltic States

Lithuania is in warm and good relations between Latvia and Estonia. Latvia takes the 1st place on the list of Lithuanian investments abroad. [ [http://www.urm.lt/index.php?1308172699 Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Lithuania's Cooperation with Latvia] ]

Poland

Relations with Poland are now among the closest enjoyed by Lithuania, while they were very strained in the interwar period.

Iceland

Iceland was the first country which recognised Lithuania's Independence from USSR on January 11, 1991, and the first one which re-established relations with it on August 26, 1991. [ [http://www.urm.lt/index.php?-1340553042 Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Lithuania’s Cooperation with Iceland] ]

USA

Lithuania has good relations and support with USAFact|date=April 2008. President of the USA, George Walker Bush, visited Lithuania in November, 2002. [ [http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/europe-200211/europetrip/09.html White House Photos] ]

Japan

Relations between Lithuania and Japan started on December 20, 1922, when Lithuania was recognized by Japan de jure. [ [http://www.urm.lt/index.php?197036188 Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Lithuania's Cooperation with Japan] ] [ [http://jp.mfa.lt/index.php?-1066645432 Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Tokyo: Bilateral relations] ] In 1939 the Consulate of Japan, headed by vice-consul Chiune Sugihara, was opened in Kaunas.

On September 6, 1991, Japan recognized the independence of the Republic of Lithuania from USSR and on October 10, Diplomatic relations were restored .

In 1997, Embassy of Japan was established in Lithuania, in 1998, Embassy of Lithuania was established in Japan. Bilateral relations were strengthen by the official state visit of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko in 2007 May. [cite web | title = Japan's Emperor Akihit, Empress Michiko visit Lithuania | url = http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/26/europe/EU-GEN-Lithuania-Japan-Imperial-Couple.php | publisher = International Herald Tribune | date = 2007-05-26|accessdate = 2008-04-09]

In 2005 the Lithuanian Community in Japan was established. It has 45 members.

Pakistan

The two countries have good relations since 1992 after the recognition of the Baltic States.

Disputes

Latvia

*Talks continue over a maritime boundary dispute with Latvia, primarily concerning oil exploration rights.

Russia

*There are ongoing popular demands to formally condemn the crimes committed by the Soviet regime
*In 2005, a fighter aircraft accompanying a Russian spy plane over the Baltic Sea violated Lithuanian airspace for about 20 minutes before crashing near Kaunas [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9403346/Lithuania Russian military aircraft crashes near Kaunas] ]
*In October 2006, Russia's FSB security service arrested an official in the Kaliningrad region accused of spying for Lithuania [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/126791.cms Russian arrest of an officer accused of spying for Lithuania] ]

Illicit drug trafficking

*Lithuania has been a transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Russia, Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe to Western Europe and Scandinavia [ [http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/docs/conference_papers/2005/Silk%20Road%20Studies%20Baltic%20Workshop.pdf Drug issues in the Baltics] ]

Human trafficking

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that about 1,000 citizens of Lithuania fall victim to trafficking annually. Most are women between the ages of 21 and 30 who are sold into prostitution [ [http://www.protectionproject.org/lithuania.doc Human Trafficking in the Baltics] ]

Anti-terrorism

Lithuania is a signatory to 8 of the 12 International Conventions related to counter-terrorist activities [ [http://www.interpol.int/Public/BioTerrorism/NationalLaws/Lithuania.pdf Interpol] ]

Civil rights

*No serious problems found by international organizations [ [http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/ltu-summary-eng Amnesty International - Lithuania] ] [ [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/eur/index.cfm?docid=691 US Department of State report on human rights in Lithuania] ]

ee also

* Lithuanian diplomatic missions
* List of diplomatic missions in Lithuania

References