Lithuania marks Independence Day

Chisinau, 16 February /MOLDPRES/ - Lithuania, one of the three Baltic Countries, a state in the north-eastern Central Europe, placed between Latvia, Belarus, Poland, Russia and the Baltic Sea, today marks the Independence Day. 

Lithuania’s Independence Declaration was signed 99 years ago, on 16 February 1918.

Lithuania has a population of 2.956 million residents and an area of 65.2 thousand square km. The state’s capital is the Vilnius city, with a population of 535,000 residents. Lithuania is member of the European Union, Council of Europe, full-fledged member of the Schengen Area and the NATO. It is a member of the Nordic Investment Bank and the Nordic Baltic Eight.  

The Human Development Index (HDI), calculated by the United Nations, lists Lithuania as a country with “quite high human development.” Lithuania was among the EU economies with the quickest growth and is on the 24th position in the world according to the Ease of Doing Business Index. On 1 January 2015, Lithuania adopted the euro as official currency, thus becoming the 19th member of the Euro area.   

Lithuania exports industrial machines and equipment, wood, textiles, fish and canned fish, dairy products. It imports industrial raw materials, transport means, fuels. The country carries out foreign trade with Belarus, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine and other countries.  

The diplomatic relations between Moldova and Lithuania were established on 10 July 1992. Moldova’s Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Lithuania is Valeriu Frija (starting from 14 January 2016) and Lithuanian Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Moldova is Rimantas Latakas (as of 20 August 2014).

Data by the National Statistics Bureau shows that, in 2016, Moldova exported goods worth 7.5 million dollars to Lithuania, which accounts for 86.7 per cent against 2015. On the same period, goods amounting to 14.3 million dollars were imported from Lithuania, which accounts for 129.4 per cent against 2015. 

The Moldovan Diaspora is represented by the Dacia society in Lithuania. Three ethnic and cultural associations of Lithuanians are registered in Moldova: Lithuanian Society (1990), Lithuanians’ Community (1997) and Young Lithuanians’ Union (1997).

(Reporter N. Roibu, editor M. Jantovan)