Prime Minister has met with the American Jewish Committee delegation

Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius and the First Deputy Chancellor of the Government Rimantas Vaitkus have met with members of the American Jewish Committee. In the meeting, Lithuania’s efforts to restore historical justice and preserve the Jewish cultural heritage in the country have been underlined, close cooperation between the Government and the Lithuanian as well as international Jewish communities has been noted, and opinions and insights into international developments have been shared.    

“Members of the Committee, thank you for your visit in Lithuania at this significant period for our country, with the approaching commemoration of January 13 Events and the 25th anniversary of our State. At present we pay tribute to those killed for independence, the heroes of our country”, said Prime Minister Butkevičius.    

Executive of the American Jewish Committee David Harris said that the time of the visit in Lithuania was not accidental; it is because members of the Committee wanted to express their solidarity with the Lithuanian nation. He has noted that the American Jewish Committee had been among the first US non-governmental organisations that had urged the US administration to recognize Lithuania’s independence.    

Prime Minister Butkevičius has thanked for the US support to Lithuania, its constant presence and visibility both in Lithuania and the entire region.   

The Prime Minister has also stressed that he has been particularly pleased about excellent cooperation with the Lithuanian and the international Jewish communities. “Together we tackle complicated issues, together we commemorate painful historical dates, and together we celebrate festivals, while our fruitful discussions enable us achieve concrete results”, said the Head of Government.     

It was emphasized during the meeting that Lithuania does not forget its experience, yet it looks forward, and seeks all-round cooperation, including that in the economic field. During discussions, matters of importance to international community have also been talked over: the situation in Ukraine and migration crisis in Europe.    

The American Jewish Committee is a Jewish ethnic advocacy group established in 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations in the US. Its key areas of focus is to promote religious and civil rights for Jews internationally. The Committee also fights against forms of discrimination in the US and works on behalf of social equality. The organization has 22 regional offices in the United States, 9 overseas offices, and 32 international partnerships with Jewish communal institutions around the world