Press release, 28 May 2016
As Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, continued her official visit in Ukraine, she handed over a book titled Kunigaikščiai Ostrogiškiai (Eng. The Ostrogskis) by Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian historians to the Library of the National Mining University in Dnipro. The book won Ukraine’s Book of the Year award in 2015 and was dedicated to Ukrainian dukes belonging to the House of Ostrogski, who left an indelible imprint in the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as well.
As she addressed the University community and guests, the Speaker of the Seimas noted that the common historical past also guided current relations between the two states.
“Lithuania fully supports the European path chosen by Ukraine and will remain a committed friend of Ukraine in this difficult time for your country,” said the Speaker of the Seimas as she stressed that Lithuania was always looking forward to sharing the experience of successful European integration with Ukraine.
Mrs Graužinienė urged Ukrainians to make good use of the opportunities provided by the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement, which also includes the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. The Speaker of the Seimas also highlighted the importance of establishing closer ties between business and academic communities.
Moreover, Mrs Graužinienė expressed her appreciation of the deepening relations between the regions of Lithuania and Ukraine. She believes that Dnipro is a key partner of Lithuania implementing a number of medical, cultural and educational projects in cooperation with our country. The Speaker of the Seimas indicated the recently signed agreement of cooperation between the National Mining University in Dnipro and Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas as one of the most promising examples of this kind of cooperation.
“Cooperation between universities and student exchange is a great way of investing in our young people as well as in the future of our countries,” said Mrs Graužinienė while wishing to the University community every success in research and education.
Neringa Mikėnaitė, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6344, mob. +370 698 42759, e-mail: neringa.mikenaite@lrs.lt