National Day of Lithuania

The rich culture of Lithuania goes back thousands of years. Lithuanians belong to a branch of the Balts whose settlement dates back to around 200 B.C. Lithuanian is one of the oldest languages in Europe. The first written mention of Lithuania was in the Annales Quedlinburgenses in 1009 A.D. Lithuania reached its height under the Grand Duke Vytautas the Great, who ruled from 1392 to 1430.

Lithuania formally declared its independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990, the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence. Lithuania restructured its economy for eventual integration into Western European institutions. The country was invited to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union in 2002. It entered into these two organizations in 2004. It is also a member of the World Trade Organization. Lithuania is a country with a high average income. The country boasts of a well-developed modern infrastructure of railways, airports, and four-lane highways. It has almost full employment, with an unemployment rate of only 2.9 percent.

Lithuania has one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union. It became a full member of the Schengen Agreement on December 21, 2007. This year, Lithuania is celebrating the millennium of its name.

We congratulate the government and people of Lithuania led by Their Excellencies, President Valdas Adamkus and Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, and the Officials and personnel of the Philippine Consulate, headed by Consul Rafael E. Evangelista, on the occasion of their National Day.

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