We hope that will come lots of visitors from foreign countries and will increase our economics.

The future centre will conduct research in the strategic IBM areas: nanotechnology, life sciences, healthcare innovation, and intellectual property for innovative management. Researchers will study advanced nanotechnologies, including an integrated silicon photonics, new photovoltaic and photonic materials. Lithuanian university researchers working in the field of innovations will cooperate in the centre.
“Joint research centre with a global high-tech giant undoubtedly marks a huge achievement for Lithuania. This means that out of a country applying innovations we are turning into a country creating innovations for the entire world”, said Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius.

“It is a concrete step towards our ambition to become a regional innovations centre in 2020”, said Minister of Economy Dainius Kreivys. According to the Minister, foundation of a joint research centre will keep Lithuania’s researchers from leaving the country and provide an opportunity to work in the world-class laboratories.

IBM is among the companies holding the largest number of patents in the world: it ranked fourth in 2009 on the Top Ten list of 2009 patent recipients in the US, with the number of patents several times exceeding its closest high-tech rivals. In 2009 alone, IBM inventors received 4,914 patents for a range of potentially world-changing inventions, such as sending alarms to hearing impaired individuals during fire.

A half of million people do not have a job (of 3 000 000). Lithuania citizens looks for the job in other countries. The taxes are growing.

A plane carrying the Polish state delegation, headed by President Lech Kaczyński, crashed near the Smolensk airport. President Kaczyński, his wife Maria and a group of high-ranking Polish officials were flying to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

“I am deeply shocked because President Kaczyński and I met in Vilnius only the day before yesterday. Lithuania has lost a good and true friend. The years of President Kaczyński’s leadership represent a most important phase in our bilateral cooperation. On behalf of the people of Lithuania, I offer my deepest condolences to the Polish people, to President Kaczyński’s family and to all those who are mourning their loss. I hope that the relationship between Lithuania and Poland will continue developing and that we will be able to translate the meaningful initiatives launched by President Kaczyński into reality,” President Grybauskaitė said.

Press Service of the President

The Statement declares the following:

“Human rights and liberties are essential and unalterable values in a democratic society. People may not be condemned or disdained on national, religious, racial or other grounds. We all know too well the anguish inflicted on the 20th century Europe due to the disregard of these democratic values. We are not entitled to forget or ignore history’s painful lessons.

It is regrettable that in Lithuania we from time to time become witness to radical marches or outbursts of anger against people of other nations or beliefs. In order to prevent the spread of these trends, we call on all political parties, NGOs, and citizens to show intolerance to all manifestations of radicalism regardless of their form.”

The Statement has been signed by Mr Emanuelis Zingeris, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Mr Arminas Lydeka, Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights.

Source: Offices of the Committees

In the Lithuanian Prime Minister‘s view, the United States holds a informal meeting in Prague to show that it stays focused on Europe.
“The symbolic meaning of the meeting is all that really matters. I think the United States is willing to show that it keeps seeking new security formats and that it stays deeply focused on Central Europe. As for Lithuania, it will continue to be one of the most responsive regions regarding the security aspect”, Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said right before his visit to Prague.

According to Prime Minister A. Kubilius, Lithuania welcomes the long-sought agreement between US and Russian to scale down the weaponry of the world’s two greatest nuclear powers and hopes that the US strategic armaments will continue to play an important role in guaranteeing long-standing security in Europe. “We are certain of further strengthening of European-American relationship and sure that the planned changes will not diminish European security guarantees and the long-lived traditions of reliable partnership between Lithuania and the United States”, the Lithuanian Prime Minister said.
The new nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia replaces the 1991 START treaty which expired on 5 December last year. The renewal of the treaty is one of the most important tasks of the Obama administration.
Following the signing of the treaty President Barack Obama hosts a solemn dinner for leaders of Central European countries at the US Embassy in Prague.

“The people of Lithuania and I were greatly shocked to hear about the deadly bombings in Moscow. I extend my sincere condolences to you personally, to the victims’ families and friends, and to the people of Russia,” Dalia Grybauskaitė wrote in her message of condolences to President Dmitry Medvedev.


Press Service of the President

According to the President, in the next three months Lithuania – like other member states – will have to prepare its national development goals to be used later on for defining specific EU action guidelines.

President Grybauskaitė said that the Greek situation and the decision of EU member states to extend together with the International Monetary Fund assistance to Greece was a good lesson to all countries and their politicians to assume full responsibility when dealing with national finances. According to the President, the European Council’s decision to establish a special work group to submit concrete recommendation to the Council by the end of the year on ways of strengthening budget discipline in member states would help avoid similar crises in the future or make them easier to overcome.

The next meeting of the European Council is scheduled for June.

Press Service of the President

“I am very happy that the strategic partnership created by signing a political declaration during our meeting on September 4 last year has brought France and Lithuania still closer together. Our cooperation, especially in energy and long-term development, is very promising. I intend to give full attention to our partnership within the European Union, too,” a letter from President Nicolas Sarkozy of France reads.

Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev writes in his letter of congratulations that Russia is willing to develop good neighbourhood and constructive relations with Lithuania, built on mutual respect and consideration to each other’s interests. According to Medvedev, Lithuania and Russia are united not only by cooperation in various areas of intergovernmental relations but also by their long common history.

President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, underlines in his congratulatory letter that Lithuania has made impressive achievements in the past twenty years.

The EC President writes that Lithuania is proud today of being a member of the European Union, together with the other twenty-six Member States which support such values as human rights, rights of a citizen, and rights of ethnic communities, entrenched in the Act on the Restoration of the Independent State of Lithuania, and that Lithuania has injected new dynamism into the European Union.

President Horst Köhler of the Federal Republic of Germany underlines in his congratulations to Lithuania that Lithuanians not only managed to restore independence 20 years ago, but also rebuild their country and bring it to the European Union. According to the German leader, Lithuania’s integration into the EU will enable the country to face present and future challenges successfully.

On the occasion of Lithuania’s national holiday, March 11, Lithuania was also congratulated by leaders of the neighboring countries, other European Union Member States, and other countries of the world.

Press Service of the President