FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Lithuania became a member of the United Nations (UN) on September 18, 1991 and is a signatory to a number of UN organizations and other international agreements. It is also a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the North Atlantic Coordinating Council, and the Council of Europe. Lithuania gained membership in the World Trade Organization on May 31, 2001. In November 2002, Lithuania was invited to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and officially became a member on March 29, 2004. On May 1 of that same year, Lithuania joined the European Union.
Lithuania's foreign policy is based primarily on protecting itself and the
Eastern European region from what it perceives as an expansionist Russia.
Lithuania uses its membership in both NATO and the EU to promote security and
democracy in Eastern Europe. It strongly advocates NATO membership for both
Georgia and Ukraine and increased EU political and economic engagement to the
region as a whole, including its neighbor Belarus. Lithuania maintains foreign
relations with 98 countries through a network of 42 embassies and 35 honorary
consuls. It has seven diplomatic missions to international organizations and one
special mission to Afghanistan.
Lithuania's liberal "zero-option" citizenship law has substantially erased tensions with its neighbors. Its suspension of two strongly ethnic Polish district councils on charges of blocking reform or disloyalty during the August 1991 coup 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 strongly urging the Government of Belarus to adopt much-needed democratic and economic reforms. President Adamkus was instrumental in brokering a peaceful resolution to the electoral challenges in Ukraine in 2004, and Lithuania plays an important leadership role in promoting democracy throughout the region.
U.S.-LITHUANIAN
RELATIONS
The United States established diplomatic relations with Lithuania on July 28, 1922. The Soviet invasion forced the closure of the Legation to Lithuania on September 5, 1940, but Lithuanian representation in the United States continued uninterrupted. The United States never recognized the forcible incorporation of Lithuania into the U.S.S.R. and views the present Government of Lithuania as a legal continuation of the interwar republic. In 2007, the United States and Lithuania celebrated 85 years of continuous diplomatic relations. Lithuania has enjoyed most-favored-nation treatment with the United States since December 1991. Since 1992, the United States has committed more than $100 million in Lithuania to economic and political transformation and to humanitarian needs. The United States and Lithuania signed an agreement on bilateral trade and intellectual property protection in 1994 and a bilateral investment treaty in 1997. In 1998, the United States signed a "Charter of Partnership" with Lithuania and the other Baltic countries establishing bilateral working groups focused on improving regional security, defense, and economic issues. Since 2004, the United States deals with Lithuania on regional security and defense matters primarily through NATO fora. In November 2008 Lithuania joined the Visa Waiver Program, which allows Lithuanians short-term travel to the United States visa-free.
DEFENSE
Lithuania, a relatively new member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), fully endorses the concept of "collective defense." National policy recognizes the primacy of NATO as the guarantor of security in Europe. The goal of Lithuania's defense policy is to create a military that can contribute to international missions through the NATO alliance, the UN, and other groups, and to continue to integrate Lithuania into Western defense structures. The Defense Ministry is responsible for combat forces, search and rescue operations, and intelligence. The government has committed to but not yet reached the goal of dedicating 2% of GDP to defense spending.
Lithuania maintains approximately 10,000, active duty troops and 8,000 reserve troops. The core of the Lithuanian force structure is the Iron Wolf Motorized Infantry Brigade, which consists of five battalions and appropriate support elements. The Lithuanian Air Force operates 17 fixed wing aircraft and nine helicopters. The Home Guard is organized into five districts.
The Border Police, with 5,400 guards, fall under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry; they are responsible for border protection, passport and customs duties, and the interdiction of smuggling and trafficking activities.
Lithuania cooperates with Estonia and Latvia in the joint naval squadron
BALTRON, and plans to contribute to a trilateral Baltic land forces element for
future NATO Response Force rotations. Lithuania deployed troops to Iraq until
2008 and has soldiers serving with Polish and Ukrainian counterparts in Kosovo.
Since the summer of 2005, Lithuania has also been part of the NATO International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, leading a 140-person Provincial
Reconstruction Team in Ghor province. A small special forces element also serves
in Afghanistan under NATO command.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--John Cloud
Deputy Chief of Mission--Damian Leader
Political and Economic Section Chief--Rebecca Dunham
Press and Cultural Attaché--Ilya Levin
Defense Attaché--LTC Joseph King (USA)
Defense Cooperation Officer--LTC Richard Gibbons (USA)
Management Officer--Andrea Baker
Consular Officer--James Fellows
The U.S. Embassy in Lithuania is located at Akmenu 6, 2600 Vilnius [tel/fax: (370) 5-2665500]. The Embassy website is http://vilnius.usembassy.gov/
