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The Roads to Independence – LIW History Archive

By ArnasTraveler87

From The Lithuania News Today History Archive: Maintaining the integrity of the nation state has been a long and continuing process

 

The three Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, declared their wish to be independent almost at the same time in 1918, when at the end of the First World War supranational European empires started to crumble. Their roads to sovereignty were very different. Because of an unfavorable historical situation and the specific geographical location (on the great route from West to East), the Lithuanians faced the greatest difficulties. However, on 16 February 1918, Lithuania was the first to declare independence. Estonia did so on 24 February the same year, and Latvia on 18 November.

 

Founding the state

 

Historians still disagree over when the Lithuanian state appeared.
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Lithuania and Russia: A Decade of Relations

By ArnasTraveler87

Lithuania in The World News: Although at first they got off to a shaky start, diplomatic relations between the two countries have recently seen a series of major breakthroughs

Arnas Lazdauskas

The last couple of months have seen unprecedented activity in the history of relations between Lithuania and Russia.
The two countries have done what they could not do before.

They have made substantial progress on numerous tough and thorny issues. Both countries have signed and promptly ratified several important bilateral treaties. Both have tried hard to moderate the damaging rhetoric at home.

Yet what gives even more grounds for optimism is the fact that finally, after six years of delay, Russia has ratified two basic treaties, the Treaty on the State Border and the Treaty on the Delimitation …

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The Baltic Road – LIW Magazine History Archive

By ArnasTraveler87
A massive public demonstration 15 years ago opened the doors to independence for the three Baltic states

Marcelijus Martinaitis

On 23 August 2004, the three Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, celebrated the 15th anniversary of one of the most unique events in their histories. The Baltijos Kelias (Baltic Road) helped to open the door to the restoration of their independence.

This event 15 years ago was a milestone in the struggle of the three states towards the elimination of the legal and political effects of their occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940.

Of course, people in other countries have all but forgotten the Baltic Road, even though it was widely covered by the press and television at the time. It was then that the Lithuanian word …

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LIW Magazine News: A New Dynamism for the European Union

By ArnasTraveler87
Membership of the EU gives a boost to the economy

Raműnas Vilpiđauskas

On 1 May 2005, Lithuania, together with nine other new member states, celebrated its first year as a member of the EU. Accession had been a policy target of these states for more than a decade, providing stability and consistency to the reforms undertaken after the collapse of communism.

Hopes have been high, and the public has been among the most enthusiastic, voting overwhelmingly in the 2003 referendum to join. What does the situation look like after the first year of membership? Are the benefits being felt in the economy and in society? What are the main concerns?

Optimistic about membership

Opinion polls reveal that the Lithuanians are still quite satisfied with their country’s performance in the …

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Winners Take All

By ArnasTraveler87

It”s never a prize too many

  • Giedrė PutelytėCompanies in the food products, financial, information technology and advertising sectors have won numerous prizes in international competitions, proving that Lithuanians are capable of producing quality products.Awards enhance the reputation of a company, as well as that of the country it represents. They also serve as an indicator of the development of different Lithuanian industries and their compliance with international standards.La crème de la crèmeEuromoney, Global Finance and The Banker, some of the world’s most respectable finance magazines, have repeatedly named SEB Vilniaus Bankas, the country”s largest bank, which is owned by the Swedish SEB Group, the best commercial bank in Lithuania. It has been rated by Euromoney for five years in a row as the best bank, and by Global Finance for
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The Head of State is Impeached

By ArnasTraveler87

Lithuanian News in English – It is a time of mixed blessings on the political front

Arnas Lazdauskas

In spring this year, Lithuania entered a new phase. It was a new phase in many senses, a time many people had been anxiously waiting for.

Integration into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union represent the achievement of two fundamental foreign policy goals. People believe that membership of these institutions will help Lithuania stabilize and consolidate its still fragile statehood, as well as increasing their well-being.

Yet the country and its people, a majority of whom supported entry into Nato and the EU as serving the national interest, were by no means as ecstatic as one might have expected. Neither, it seems, were its Nato allies and EU partners. …

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Three Seconds of Heaven and Hell – LIW Literature Corener

By ArnasTraveler87
Tragedy and comedy are a potent mix in the work of Sigitas Parulskis

Jonas Ohman

Lithuanian literature is rising if not from the dead then at least from an existence in the shadows. In recent years we have definitely been able to feel the creative heat from several writers in deep need of expressing their experience of a society in transition.

This has not gone unnoticed in other countries. The most significant signs are the presentation at the main European book fair, in Frankfurt in 2002, and now at the end of September at the biggest Scandinavian book fair, in Göteborg in Sweden.

One of the most notable contributors is Sigitas Parulskis, a poet and essayist on a somewhat rough journey through life, something which I felt at our meeting …

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Where Storks Rule the Roost

By ArnasTraveler87

Country holidays have become the fastest-growing business in rural areas

Jolanta Paškevičienė

“Today, rural tourism is the leading business in the countryside,” says Regina Sirusienė, president of the Rural Tourism Association. This can be seen from the statistics: over one year the number of households involved in it has tripled.

Three years ago, 24,000 people spent their holidays on a farm. In 2001, it was 67,000. Last year the number increased to 110,000. This means that rural residents have found a new source of income, and that those who live in the cities can afford such holidays.

The people who start this type of business are usually families living in the countryside, and all members of the family are involved. They are versatile people who very often do not have …

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