TOI: INDIA MUST STAND TRUE ITS PROMISE OF AN EMBASSY IN VILNIUS MADE IN 2005: LITHUANIA FOREIGN MINISTER
VILNIUS: Lithuania's foreign minister has asked India to stand true to its promise of starting an embassy in Vilnius. The promise was made way back in 2005 by the then external affairs minister of India K Natwar Singh. Currently the Indian mission for Lithuania is based out of Warsaw in Poland.
Increasing economic ties - Indian exports to Lithuanian growing by 40% in 2013 and cultural exchanges - 300 Indian students already studying in Lithuania with an additional 150 expected to land there to a single university in Kaunas this year, is now making it very difficult for those looking for an Indian visa.
Sources say "lack of funds" has prevented India from opening the embassy in Vilnius.
In an exclusive interview to TOI, foreign minister Linas Linkevicius said Lithuania opened its embassy in New Delhi in 2008, amidst the deepest financial crisis of modern times.
Mr Linkevicius told TOI "Despite the economic crisis, when our GDP was contracted by nearly 15%, we opened an embassy in India. We have slowly and steadily clawed out of that ditch with economic figures being the best in the European Union. The World Bank's Doing Business 2014 report ranks Lithuania in the highest position in Central and Eastern Europe, and the 6th highest in the European Union.
Lithuania has been ranked the 17th best country in the world, ahead of the likes of Germany (21st) and Estonia (22nd). With bilateral and economic ties between India and Lithuania growing steadily, it is time for India to start an embassy in Vilnius". Linkevicius extended a warm and open invite to his counterpart in India Sushma Swaraj to visit Lithuania.
He added "With cultural interest towards India growing among Lithuanians - its love for Rabindranath Tagore's work, ayurveda and a tremendous similarity between Sanskrit and Lithuanian language, an increasing number of academics and scholars are visiting India. Around 3,000 Lithuanian citizens travel to India each year. For visas, they have to send their passports to Poland which is inconvenient. An Indian mission in Vilnius will be highly welcome. India must not look at Lithuania's size alone".
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