United States and Lithuania to Mark 85 Years of Continuous Diplomatic Relations
24 July 2007
Media Event: Thursday, 26 July 2007, 16:00-17:00
Historic Presidency in Kaunas (Vilniaus g. 33, Kaunas)
Press Availability: President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus and U.S. Ambassador John Cloud will be available to answer questions from the media following the ceremony.
Registration is required by 17:00 on Wednesday, July 25.
Please call (370-5) 2665300 or e-mail litevkaitea@state.gov to register.
On July 26, the Republic of Lithuania and the United States of America will commemorate the 85th Anniversary of U.S.-Lithuanian diplomatic relations. The United States Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania will host a ceremony to mark the occasion at the Historic Presidency building in Kaunas.
President Valdas Adamkus, U.S. Ambassador John Cloud, Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States Audrius Bruzga, and Kaunas Mayor Andrius Kupcinskas will speak during the ceremony. At the conclusion of the ceremony, President Adamkus and Ambassador Cloud will exchange gifts to commemorate the anniversary.
An exhibition of photos will illustrate the 85 years of uninterrupted diplomatic ties between Lithuania and the United States. The exhibition will remain on display at the Historic Presidency for visitors to enjoy until August 23.
Lithuanian violinist Darius Puodziukas of the University of Kansas and the Lithuanian Musical Academy will open the ceremony by performing Lithuanian and American compositions.
The United States established diplomatic relations with Lithuania on July 28, 1922. The United States never recognized the forcible incorporation of Lithuania into the Soviet Union, and the Lithuanian diplomatic representation in the United States continued uninterrupted throughout this period.
