New Delhi: Lithuania and India are witnessing steady growth in their bilateral engagement, with cooperation expanding beyond traditional areas such as trade and culture to tourism, education, people-to-people ties and technology, Lithuania’s Ambassador to India Diana Mickevičienė said. She also highlighted Lithuania’s deep admiration for Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of peace and non-violence.
Speaking to IANS on India-Lithuania relations, Mickevičienė said the two countries have maintained a strong political dialogue and are witnessing steady movement of goods and services, while tourism and educational exchanges have also grown.
“We have a good political dialogue and a good understanding between the two countries. We have developing trade and a steady movement of goods and services.We have also seen a steady increase in tourism flows in both directions. We have a good number of Indian students in Lithuania, and the Indian community has grown significantly. During my four years in India, I think it has grown three or four times,” she said.
“We are very keen to develop people-to-people connections, including through our communities and students,” she added.
The ambassador also highlighted historical and linguistic links between the two countries, including the connection between Sanskrit and the Lithuanian language. She said Lithuania and India have also worked to strengthen cultural diplomacy and recently completed a two-year initiative celebrating people-to-people connections.
“We have also been actively celebrating our historical connections, including the linguistic connection between Sanskrit and the Lithuanian language, as well as the historical personalities who helped build bridges between our two countries,” Mickevičienė said.
On the future of bilateral cooperation, she said technological partnerships were emerging as an important area, with trade also expanding into electronic products, components and digital devices.
“Overall, while the traditional areas of cooperation, economics and culture remain important, we are increasingly entering the field of technological partnerships. I believe that will be the future,” she said.
Turning to Mahatma Gandhi and his message of peace and non-violence, Mickevičienė said Lithuania has a deep connection with Gandhi’s ideas, particularly through Hermann Kallenbach, a Lithuanian-born Jewish friend of Gandhi.
“For Lithuania, it is not just a theoretical message. We greatly admire Mahatma Gandhi, his personality and his values. We also have a personal connection with him,” she said.
She recalled Lithuania’s peaceful independence movement and cited the Baltic Way as an example of non-violent resistance.
“On August 23, we will mark the anniversary of the Baltic Way, which is a very powerful embodiment of Gandhian resilience and resistance. The populations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania formed an uninterrupted human chain connecting the three capitals and demanded independence, freedom and democracy,” she said.
Concluding, Mickevičienė said Lithuania remains proud of its association with Gandhi’s values.
“You could say that we are the Nordic lights reflecting Gandhi’s values in the world. We are very happy to stand by what he taught,” she said.
(IANS)
