A group of intellectuals, politicians, public figures and journalists from the Lithuanian-American Association have expressed their opposition to Lithuania’s vote at the United Nations General Assembly on December 21 in favor of a non-binding resolution rejecting the decision by US president Donald Trump to move the US embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. They said Lithuania’s vote against the US position went against Lithuania’s national interests.
“It doesn’t really matter what the subject of the vote was. What’s important is that the US publicly and officially asked not to vote against them, and Lithuania voted against them. In this case it would have been possible to balance both the interests of the US and the European Union, as Latvia and Poland did. They abstained in the vote. If we want to believe a US soldier is prepared to die for Lithuania’s freedom, then we must take US positions into greater consideration. We all aspire to a unified Lithuanian foreign policy, but in this case this vote seemed unfair to one part of society. For that reason we are expressing a different opinion,” Lithuanian-American Association president professor Raimundas Lopata told Delfi.
Statement
Taking into consideration that on December 21, 2017, Lithuania voted in favor of the United Nations resolution on Jerusalem, that is, against the position of the United States and without regard to the clear request by the US not to vote against them;
That Lithuania’s neighbors Poland and Latvia did take this request into consideration and abstained in the vote;
That US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said after the vote that “the US will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in this assembly;”
And that the US mission to the UN expressed the position: “It‘s clear that many countries prioritized their relationship with the United States over an unproductive attempt to isolate us for a decision that was our sovereign right to make;”
That the US is the most important country guaranteeing Lithuanian security through both NATO and on a bilateral basis;
That Lithuania’s vital interest lies in expansion of bilateral relations with the US and in US leadership in the world;
We are convinced,
that the people responsible who decided to vote against the US and the UN assembly did so without regard to the totality of interests of the Lithuanian state,
failed to balance alliances with the EU and the USA as Poland and Latvia were able to do, and so did harm to the national interests of Lithuania.
We, the undersigned, therefore express our disagreement with the official foreign policy of the current government on this issue of importance to the state.
January 10, 2018
Vilnius
Signatures:
1. Petras Auštrevičius, member of European Parliament, ambassador
2. Vilius Baldišis, signatory to March 11 Independence Act, chairman of Bank of Lithuania (1990-1993)
3. Raimundas Balza, historian, museum specialist
4. Dr. Darius Baronas, historian
5. Prof. Lauras Bielinis, political scientist
6. Ramūnas Bogdanas, policy analyst
7. Dr. Eduardas Brazaitis, Sr., psychiatrist
8. Prof. Alfredas Bumblauskas, historian
9. Dr. Algirdas Butkevičius, member of Lithuanian parliament, prime minister (2012-2016)
10. Rimantas Jonas Dagys, member of Lithuanian parliament, minister of social welfare and labor (2008-2009)
11. Tomas Dapkus, journalist
12. Irena Degutienė, member of Lithuanian parliament, speaker of parliament (2009-2012)
13. Giedrius Drukteinis, writer, journalist
14. Vitalijus Gailius, member of Lithuanian parliament, director of Financial Crimes Investigations Service (2010-2012)
15. Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, journalist
16. Gediminas Grina, Lithuanian defense attaché to US and Canada (2001-2004), general director of State Security Department (2010-2015)
17. Paulius Gritėnas, journalist
18. Antanas Guoga, member of European Parliament
19. Albinas Januška, signatory to March 11 Independence Act, ambassador
20. Dr. Mažvydas Jastramskis, political scientist
21. Prof. Alvydas Jokubaitis, philosopher
22. Zenonas Juknevičius, signatory to March 11 Independence Act, justice minister (1992)
23. Raimundas Jurevičius, attorney
24. Renatas Juška, ambassador
25. Virgilijus Kačinskas, signatory to March 11 Independence Act
26. Dr. Laurynas Kasčiūnas, member of Lithuanian parliament
27. Modestas Kaseliauskas, attorney, director of State Tax Inspectorate (2005-2014)
28. Prof. Antanas Kulakauskas, historian, political scientist
29. Henrikas Kunčius, writer
30. Vladimiras Laučius, journalist, political scientist
31. Mečys Laurinkus, signatory to March 11 Independence Act, general director of State Security Department (1998-2004)
32. Arvydas Kostas Leščinskas, signatory to March 11 Independence Act, energy minister (1995-1996)
33. Prof. Raimundas Lopata, president of Lithuanian-American Association
34. Lauras Lučiūnas, television and music producer
35. Valentinas Mazuronis, member of European Parliament
36. Prof. Gintautas Mažeikis, philosopher
37. Raimundas Mieželis, adviser to Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus (1998-2003)
38. Edita Mildažytė, journalist, television program hostess
39. Prof. Alvydas Nikžentaitis, historian
40. Česlav Okinčic, signatory to March 11 Independence Act, ambassador
41. Dr. Juozas Olekas, member of Lithuanian parliament, health minister (2003-2004), defense minister (2006-2008, 2012-2016)
42. Naglis Puteikis, member of Lithuanian parliament
43. Andrzej Pukszto, political scientist
44. Liudvikas Narcizas Rasimas, signatory to March 11 Independence Act
45. Paulius Saudargas, member of Lithuanian parliament
46. Raimondas Savickas, artist
47. Virginijus Savukynas, journalist, cultural anthropologist
48. Vytautas Sinica, political scientist
49. Dr. Mindaugas Sinkevičius, economics minister (2016-2017)
50. Povilas Urbšys, member of Lithuanian parliament
51. Rimvydas Valatka, signatory to March 11 Independence Act
52. Arūnas Valinskas, television producer, speaker of Lithuanian parliament (2008-2009)
53. Dr. Antanas Valionis, foreign minister (2000-2006), ambassador
54. Dr. Kęstutis Vilutis
55. Prof. Gediminas Vitkus, political scientist
56. Rimtautas Vizgirda, honorary chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania
57. Emanuelis Zingeris
and others.
Full text in Lithuanian here.
