Speeches

Opening remarks by President Dalia Grybauskaitė at Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies

Dear Guests of the Conference,

I welcome all of you who have come to Lithuania to attend the closing event of Lithuania's presidency of the Community of Democracies.

In 1990 Lithuania regained independence and set the course to building a strong democratic state. After two decades of hard and committed work on this path, in 2009, Lithuania was entrusted with the presidency of the Community of Democracies which unites over 100 countries of the world.

Lithuania has demonstrated that today it can pass on the experience of democracy building gained twenty years ago from western countries to other nations. We have openly confirmed our readiness to seek democratic changes in a dignified and solid way - through dialogue and mutually acceptable solutions, not by enforcing our views on others.

However, we see many cases where nations and people oppose the existing regimes and want to bring about changes in their countries. The example of consolidated democracies shows the actual steps that need to be taken along the road of political maturity and encourages such societies to decide on the future direction.

We must impose the same human rights demands on all non-democratic regimes. Therefore, we cannot put up with human rights violations in one country and overlook them in another.

On the other hand, when we apply sanctions because of a country's undemocratic leader, we punish too often and undeservedly the ordinary people. It leads to increased animosity towards external forces and reduces even further the options to promote internal change.

I am convinced that the key to success is greater openness. Lithuania invites to keep a stronger hold on this principle and to put into place more frequently such measures as easier border-crossing procedures, more favorable visa arrangements, and more intensive cooperation in education and science. I am very pleased that the Seimas of Lithuania has approved the border crossing facilitation agreement with Belarus. We have also proposed to the European Union and Belarus to start negotiations on visa liberalization and readmission.

Today, as we speak about the need to develop democracy, we should not forget about the inner and particularly external threats arising to our own democratic systems. Like, for example, the use of economic and energy levers for political purposes, fierce informational pressure, attempts to buy over the national media in order to influence a country's political system.

These are serious challenges for all of us. Therefore, when we strengthen dialogue and cooperation, let us not only spread democracy more effectively across the world, but let us also consolidate our own democracies and security.

Thank you for your constructive input and the support you gave Lithuania during its presidency of the Community of Democracies. I wish you fruitful discussions and I extend my best wishes to Mongolia - the Community's next presiding country.

Thank you for your attention.