Visits

State visit by President Dalia Grybauskaitė to Iceland, 25-27 August 2011

After completing her working visit to Germany, President Dalia Grybauskaitė arrived on a three day state visit in Iceland where she met with Icelandic leaders. She also visited the historic Hofdi House, which had a deep symbolic meaning for Lithuania since it was namely there that the agreements reestablishing diplomatic relations between the three Baltic States and Iceland were signed. Dalia Grybauskaitė presented the Honorary Consul of Lithuania, Professor Arnor Hannibalson, with a Lithuanian state decoration.

During her state visit, the President took part in a round-table discussion on EU issues, opened am exhibition of works by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and a concert by pianist Mūza Rubackytė. She also visited two Icelandic geothermal power stations.

In Reykjavik, President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson of Iceland.

The Lithuanian President underlined that Iceland, which was the first country to recognize independent Lithuania twenty years ago, and other Nordic countries from the very start supported Lithuania's aspirations to build a free and democratic state and its efforts to integrate into the international community.

According to the President, now that Lithuania has implemented its political goals - successfully joined the EU and NATO - and in the context of increasing regionalization in Europe, intensive Nordic-Baltic cooperation has emerged as a key priority in our foreign policy.

"Twenty years ago, Iceland's solidarity was very important to Lithuania. Iceland was the first country to recognize the restored state of Lithuania - a very brave step back then. It encouraged other nations of the world to recognize our country, too. I thank the Icelandic nation for its courage and support extended to us then and uniting the Nordic and Baltic countries even today. Close and intensive Nordic-Baltic interrelations in pursuing efficiently our common interests and using for this purpose regional, European and global cooperation formats will enhance competitiveness of this region and ensure its successful development," the President said.

Iceland's President underlined there were no five Nordic and three Baltic countries anymore but instead there was a family of eight countries. According to him, cooperation among these eight countries is unique in Europe and the world.

According to President Dalia Grybauskaitė, if the people of Iceland agreed in a referendum to membership in the EU, the voice of the Baltic-Nordic region would become even stronger in Europe when it came to defending common interests.

The President of Iceland said Lithuania's euro-integration experience could be very much useful for his country.

The heads of state also discussed bilateral relations, renewable energy, cooperation in culture, NATO issues of the day, and the economic crisis that the two countries have successfully overcome.

On the second day of her state visit to Iceland, President Dalia Grybauskaitė attended the ceremony of commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Iceland in the historic Hofdi House. Here, exactly twenty years ago, on August 26, agreements reestablishing diplomatic relations between the three Baltic States and Iceland were signed.

"I am delighted to be here, a place which saw the start of the process so important to Lithuania. When we reestablished Lithuanian independence twenty years ago, we were still under the oppression of the Soviet Union, suffering from the economic blockade, and our territory was still controlled by the Soviet armed forces. The world did not hurry to extend support to us. I thank Iceland for demonstrating courage and breaking the silence and for being confident in its decision even when the most powerful countries of the world were urging caution with the recognition of Lithuania," the President said at the ceremony.

In this symbolic place for Lithuania and Iceland, President Dalia Grybauskaitė awarded Professor Arnor Hannibalsson, a good friend of Lithuania and Lithuania's Honorary Consul, a state decoration, the Grand Cross of Commander, as a token of gratitude and respect from the Lithuanian nation.

The ceremony was attended by Iceland's President, members of the Government, Mayor of Reykjavik, Arnor Hannibalsson's brother, Jonas Hannibalsson, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, other prominent public figures who actively supported Lithuanian independence twenty years ago, and members of the Lithuanian community in Iceland.

The Hofdi House where Lithuania and Iceland signed the agreement reestablishing their diplomatic relations also saw the historic meeting of President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev in 1986, during which agreements were concluded between the United States and the Soviet Union leading to the end of the Cold War, the reunification of Germany, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the liberation of freedom-seeking nations.

After the ceremony in the Hofdi House, President Dalia Grybauskaitė visited at the invitation of the President of Iceland the Harpa concert hall and conference centre, which symbolizes Iceland's recovery from the economic crisis. Later on, the President went to the Althing, the world's oldest parliament, to meet with Parliamentary Speaker Ásta Jóhannesdóttir and discuss Lithuanian-Icelandic relations, Nordic-Baltic cooperation, and efforts of the two countries to overcome the aftermath of the economic crisis.

Later in the day, the President attended a round-table discussion on EU membership.

The President and the Parliamentary Speaker focused on the Lithuanian-Icelandic inter-parliamentary contacts, cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries, and experience of the two countries in dealing with the consequences of the economic crisis.

Taking part in the round-table were Iceland's politicians, members of the academic community of the University of Bifröst, representatives of non-governmental organizations and social groups who showed great interest in Lithuania's experience of and benefit from EU membership. The discussion was moderated by famous journalist Thora Arnorsdottir, daughter of Lithuania's Honorary Consul Arnor Hannibalsson. The participants wanted to hear the opinion of the Lithuanian President as former EU Commissioner on various European policy issues. They emphasized that Lithuania's euro-integration experience was important to Iceland.

President Grybauskaitė underlined that membership in the European Union was a national interest of Lithuania. According to the President, accession to the EU was important for Lithuania not only because it brought economic benefit through large structural allocations directed at promoting development, but also because during the negotiating period Lithuania had to transpose the European acquis, which called for fundamental domestic reforms that primarily benefitted the Lithuanian people.

"Membership in the European Union brought huge political, economic and structural benefit. We are now member of an important international economic and political structure and our voice is heard when it comes to addressing key international issues. It offers vast opportunities tobetter protect the interests of Lithuania and its people at the European level," the President said.

According to the President, Lithuania supports Iceland's European choice. "It would be symbolic if the Icelandic people spoke out in a referendum in favor of joining the EU: Iceland was the first country to recognize Lithuania's independence and it would accede to the EU during Lithuania's Presidency in 2013," the President said.

The President also underlined that Iceland's membership in the European Union would be important and useful to Lithuania as it sought to enhance the role of the Nordic-Baltic region in Europe. According to the President, the more Nordic and Baltic countries are EU members, the better mobilized are their efforts to protect common interests in Europe and in the world.

During her state visit to Iceland, President Dalia Grybauskaitė opened an exhibition of works by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and a concert by famous pianist Mūza Rubackytė in the Nordic Culture House, where she also met with the local Lithuanian community.

"Culture is the best way to get to know other people and other nations. Politics or international agreements alone are not enough for nationsand people to communicate and come to know each other," the President said at the opening ceremony.

According to the President, paintings and music by the most outstanding Lithuanian artist, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, are a perfect way to convey the spirit of the Lithuanian people to other nations.

After the opening ceremony, the President met and talked with members of the Lithuanian community. About 1.5 thousand Lithuanians currently live in Iceland.

The same evening, Dalia Grybauskaitė met with Iceland's Prime Minister Johanna Sigursdottir to discuss options for strengthening bilateral cooperation, topical NATO issues, and the Icelandic euro-integration process. Special focus was placed on alternative energy.

According to the President, Lithuania stands ready to share its euro-integration experience and knowledge should the Icelandic people decide to seek EU membership, whereas Lithuania could greatly benefit from Iceland's experience in geothermal energy. The President said Iceland was an example of how successfully and inventively a small country could use limited natural resources and implement ambitious energy projects.

"The Nordic countries are well-advanced in developing alternative energy. Located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland takes advantage of its unique geological structure: it uses geyser heat to produce geothermal energy. It is a perfect example how inventively and efficiently the energy sector can be managed and Lithuania should follow this example," the President said.

On the third day the President also visited the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant which is the second largest plant of this type in the world. According to the President, Lithuania also has resources for the development of geothermal energy but does not use this possibility in full. With the help of advanced technologies and experience of other countries, power could be generated, according to the President, from the geothermal waters in western Lithuania. At the present moment, Lithuania operates only one limited-capacity geothermal power plant, Geoterma, in Klaipėda.

The President believes that as we seek energy independence, we need to actively explore all possible directions: promote the liberalization of electricity and gas markets, set up an infrastructure for interconnections, carry out the Visaginas nuclear power plant project, develop renewables, biofuels and waste incineration.

According to the President, energy diversity means lower dependence on monopolistic suppliers, more competitive and consumer-friendly prices and it prevents the use of energy as a political lever.