The flag of the Republic of Lithuania was hoisted on the building of the Regional Office of the Pilsen Region on Wednesday, 29 December 2021. This was done on the occasion of the commemoration of 100 years since the recognition of Lithuania as an independent state and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Czech (then Czechoslovak) Republic and the Republic of Lithuania, and on the basis of a previous online meeting between the President of the Region, Ilona Mauritzová, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the Czech Republic, Laimonas Talat-Kelpša. The hoisting of the flag on the building of the Regional Office was approved by the Regional Council in early December 2021.
Lithuania is a member of the EU and NATO, and the currency is the euro. It pursues a responsible foreign policy based on a clear value orientation and the experience of the turbulent history of the 20th century. It has clear priorities in the EU’s common foreign and security policy (transatlantic relations, Eastern Partnership, energy security, EU enlargement, protection of human rights). It has a young, modern diplomacy focused on the Euro-Atlantic area and the security policy agenda.
“Czech-Lithuanian relations are friendly. They are based on shared European values and close interests in the field of foreign and security policy. Like us, Lithuania has lived through a period of totalitarianism. Today we are linked, among other things, by our current NATO alliance. From the public’s point of view, the mutual perception of the other country is positive, although considering the size of the countries, Lithuanians probably know the Czech Republic more than our citizens know Lithuania,” says Ilona Mauritzová, President of the Pilsen Region.
“Our relationship is based on solid foundations. Bilateral trade exceeds one billion euros, Czech soldiers guard our airspace, and people take an active interest in events in Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Even two towns in the Pilsen region, Sušice and Nepomuk, are friends with towns in Lithuania. If there is anything we have done right in recent decades, it is the way we have built our pyramid of relationships: from the bottom up, from the ordinary citizen to close cooperation at the highest level. It is also a great credit to President Václav Havel,” said Lithuanian Ambassador Laimonas Talat-Kelpša.