Lithuania Graduation


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Celebrating Lithuanian-American Partnership

On May 31, Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, Donald L. Pressley, presided at the graduation celebrations officially marking the closing of the USAID offices in Lithuania.

The day began for Mr. Pressley with a breakfast meeting with Lithuanian President Adamkus. During the meeting, the President extended his gratitude to USAID for the achievements realized in Lithuania and expressed regret that the USID offices were closing. For his part, the Assistant Administrator explained the decision to close the USAID offices and underscored that a post presence program of regional and global activities would continue in Lithuania through FY 2001. Mr. Pressley also presented the President with a framed photograph of the Washington DC skyline in recognition of the President’s support of USAID program efforts throughout the years.

After the meeting with the President, the Assistant Administrator toured “old town” and then had lunch with the USAID/Lithuania staff. During this opportunity, Mr. Pressley sampled national cuisine of Lithuania and presented certificates of appreciation to the USAID/Lithuania staff in recognition of their dedication and commitment to development of Lithuania. He noted that as the people in each Mission make the program the product of their creative minds and the result of their diligent efforts, they predestine USAID to be the Agency that is so highly regarded for its excellent results. The Assistant Administrator specifically expressed his gratitude to the Foreign Service Nationals, whose thorough knowledge of the country's background is essential in tailoring each USAID program and activity to the specific needs of the country, thus allowing the programs to be most beneficial to the recipients of the support.

Later in the day, Mr. Pressley was featured at a press conference at which he read a statement regarding the closeout of the USAID Mission in Lithuania and presented media representatives with USAID’s post-presence plans for Lithuania. Although a number of questions were posed by the journalists, most were directed at continued U.S. government support for the de-commissioning of Unit #1 at Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant as well as aspects of continued AID-supported activities in Lithuania.

The culmination of a very busy day for the Assistant Administrator was the official USAID/Lithuania Graduation Ceremony. Designed to thank all its partners for their cooperation and support over the years to achieve mutual development goals, the ceremony attracted over 140 guests including Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, Vice-Chairman of the Lithuanian Parliament Feliksas Palubinskas, Minister of Economy Valentinas Milaknis and several members of Parliament. Also attending were officials from counterpart agencies, private sector firms, non-government organizations and other donor institutions.

The Ceremony was opened by the singing of national anthems of Lithuania and the United States of America, performed by a local student choir. U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, Keith C. Smith provided opening remarks followed by the Lithuanian Prime Minister, Andrius Kubilius. Mr. Kubilius identified a number of USAID programs that the Government found critical in dealing with the transitional issues of the country. He also noted that as one of the first international donor organizations to Lithuania, USAID had provided invaluable support in fostering democratic development of the country and reinforcing the principles of a free market economy.

Following the Prime Minister’s speech, Assistant Administrator Pressley and the Prime Minister exchanged small tokens of appreciation. Then, Mr. Pressley presented the keynote address. He spoke of Lithuania’s success since independence in 1990, outlined the concept of country graduation and highlighted the regional leadership role Lithuania has played in the past, and will continue to play in the future with regard to energy, HIV/AIDS, the environment and business development. Mr. Pressley also noted that the USAID program has created a network of sustainable institutions that will assist Lithuania in its development efforts for years to come.

Following Mr. Pressley’s address, USAID/Lithuania Acting Mission Director, Gary Imhoff, then took a few minutes to underscore the achievements realized through our partnerships since 1992. These partnerships resulted in strengthening fiscal management, forging a more stable financial environment, improving safety and policy in the energy sector, and promoting the development of civil society and non-governmental organizations. One cross cutting component of USAID's program was an intensive training program that included over 1,500 people from various sectors.

As the President had to depart on a state visit to Germany, Presidential Advisor Remigijus Gaska, delivered a message from the President Adamkus. In his remarks, the President once again extended his sincere gratitude to the support and assistance provided by USAID, and to all the participants and implementers of its programs. He expressed the hope that those who were part of its programs will continue the work initiated by USAID.

Finally, the theme of close partnerships were echoed by the concluding speakers: Vice-Minister of Finance Dalia Grybauskaite, Director of NGO Support and Information Center, Vaidotas Ilgius; Director of the International Relations Department of the Bank of Lithuania, Stasys Kropas: and, Lithuanian Energy Institute representative Eugenijus Uspuras.

The Ceremony was followed by a reception in honor of our partners and their achievements. Many of the participants commented that the ceremony and reception gave them a unique opportunity to network and to share individual experiences. As one partner stated "we all felt a part of the program."

Participants of the USAID Graduation Ceremony were introduced to a series of USAID reports on its key sectors of work and an all-inclusive Celebrating Lithuanian-American Partnership brochure. The USAID/Lithuania team prepared the publications as a retrospective of USAID program and its achievements in Lithuania. The Mission hopes that they will serve as a symbol of the Program, as well as a guide for similar projects in Lithuania by other donors and for USAID programs in other countries.

Upon his departure from Lithuania, Assistant Administrator Pressley stated that he thought the graduation program and ceremony had been a tremendous success and that he was pleased to have been a part of it.

Europe/Eurasia Bureau Lithuania Graduation Ceremony

Celebrating Lithuanian-American Partnership

Europe/Eurasia Bureau
Lithuania Graduation Ceremony