New Delhi, March 14: The 10th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Lithuania took place on March 13 in Vilnius. India was represented by Secretary of External Affairs (West) Sibi George, while Lithuania was led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vidmantas Verbiškis.
Both sides reviewed all aspects of their bilateral relations, including political, trade, economic cooperation, cultural ties, and people-to-people connections. Emphasis was placed on advancing relations in sectors such as trade, investment, and high-tech areas like lasers. Discussions also covered India-EU relations and the exchange of views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
During the visit, Secretary Sibi George met with Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Kęstutis Budrys. He also engaged with key officials, including the Political Director of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Laimonas Talat-Kelpša, the Chief Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, Kęstutis Kudžmanas, CEO of Klaipeda Port, Algis Latakas, and CEO of the Center for Geopolitical and Security Studies (GSSC), Linas Kojala.
The Secretary interacted with the Indian diaspora in Lithuania, encouraging them to continue contributing to the vision of a developed India by 2047. He inaugurated the Ayush Information Cell and the ‘One District, One Product’ (ODOP) lounge at the new embassy complex. It was agreed that the next round of FOC would take place in New Delhi on mutually agreed dates.
Diplomatic relations between India and Lithuania were established in 1992, focusing on economic, cultural, and technical cooperation. India recognized Lithuania’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. India’s embassy in Poland oversees matters related to Lithuania, while Lithuania’s embassy is located in New Delhi. Bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded $450 million in 2023-24.
Cultural ties reveal linguistic similarities between India and Lithuania. India exports prepared medicines, organic products, nuclear boilers, reactors, machinery, electrical equipment, fish, and other aquatic foods, as well as organic and inorganic chemicals, automobile tires, plastic goods, textiles, and tobacco to Lithuania.
Conversely, Lithuania exports machinery and mechanical equipment, iron and steel, chemical products, rubber goods, wood and wooden products, optical and measuring instruments, and food items to India.
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