Amb. Jean Pierre Karabaranga on Tuesday presented his letters of credence to the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, in the capital Vilnius, becoming Rwanda’s first envoy to the country. 

Their discussion focused on bilateral cooperation in such areas as education, IT, sport and infrastructure, according to a statement from the Rwandan embassy.

The Rwandan envoy and his team also held talks with Neris Germanas, the vice minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ina Marciulionyte, director, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Pacific Department; and Amb. Petras Zapolskas, director of state and diplomatic protocol.

Covering an area of 65,200 square kilometers, Lithuania regained its independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990. It is inhabited by three million people.

Lithuania is a member of the European Union, and the Council of Europe, and is a full member of the Schengen Agreement, part of the NATO, and is currently a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Lithuania has been among the fastest growing economies in the EU and is ranked 17th in the world in the ease of doing business index.

Karabaranga is the first Rwandan ambassador accredited to Lithuania, a country located in the northern part of Europe. The two nations took a giant step to establish bilateral diplomatic relations on March 27, 2013 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

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