Queen Beatrix’s First State Visit to Lithuania

Whilst her eldest son is in Spain for a water expo this week, Queen Beatrix began her first state visit to Lithuania yesterday. She was invited by the Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus. The queen began her tour in Vilnius stopping at the Presidential Palace, Antakalnis Cemetery and the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Included in her royal visit will be tours of Trakai Castle and Sugihara House. She will wrapped up her trip on June 26th in Kaunas.Below is Queen Beatrix’s entire speech at the state banquet in Vilnius, Lithuania on June 24, 2008.

"Mr President,"

"It gives me great pleasure to be your guest here this evening during the first Dutch State visit to Lithuania. My son, Prince Willem-Alexander, and his wife, Princess Máxima, were here in June two thousand and two and spoke with great enthusiasm about their visit. I am very happy to have the opportunity now to become acquainted with your country in person."

"Lithuania regained its independence after a dark period in its history. Your country then oriented itself on Europe once again. In order to achieve membership of the EU as soon as possible, your country made enormous efforts and introduced extensive political and economic reforms. In this transition period, Lithuania went its own way, as it had done in the past. In acceding to the Union, your country brought with it both its unique traditions and its rich culture."

"The history of Lithuania is marked by many changes of fortune. Two elements are constant features of that history: a profound attachment to your national identity and a tradition of religious tolerance. As far back as the fourteenth century, your capital was known as a trading centre that offered religious freedom and protection even to foreign merchants and craftsmen. Vilnius thus acquired a cosmopolitan character and a reputation for tolerance. To this day, the great variety of places of worship is still an eloquent testimony to that fact. They have contributed in no small measure to the beauty and historic significance of your capital, which as a result has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The tradition of tolerance lives on, as demonstrated by the fact that after independence was regained, citizenship was offered to all Lithuanian residents, whatever their ethnic background."

"Your rich and splendid history is also marked by an enduring and deep-rooted desire for freedom. Your people were long successful in resisting the expansionism of various foreign powers. Even in the period of foreign domination, they managed to preserve their identity in terms of language and culture, despite all attempts to enforce assimilation. Your impassioned struggle for independence was expressed in the late eighties in an impressive, peaceful, liberation movement, which was ultimately successful. The images of the human chain that stretched from Vilnius to Tallinn in nineteen eighty-nine will remain engraved in our memories forever. Sad to say, freedom was not regained without bloodshed. The monument I visited this afternoon is an imposing tribute to those who gave their lives in that cause."

"Now, eighteen years after your declaration of independence, democracy is firmly rooted in your country. In the coming parliamentary elections young people who have spent the whole of their lives in an independent Lithuania will vote for the first time. The establishment of a democratic state was accompanied by the transition to a market economy. The privatisation process was extensive and was completed remarkably quickly. The changes were not without setbacks and demanded great sacrifices of the Lithuanian people. But your government always enjoyed the support and confidence of the population. And so, success was not long in coming. In recent years, the economy has grown considerably and prosperity has increased. Innovation is high on the agenda. Your country occupies a leading position in biotechnology and the laser industry and is constantly developing new techniques in these fields."

"Economic changes have gone hand-in-hand with political developments. Lithuania has turned to Europe with great enthusiasm and resumed its rightful place in our continent. It is now a valued member of the European Union and of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Your country takes part in various peace operations and in particular is making an important contribution to the ISAF mission to Afghanistan. In this way, you are helping to create security and stability, and also assisting the humanitarian and development activities that this deeply stricken country so desperately needs. In that distant land, our countries stand side-by-side."

"Mr President,"

"In addition to the contacts our peoples engage in through the European Union and NATO, I would also like to mention our close bilateral ties. For these are not only important today: they go back many centuries to the time of the Hanseatic League, the great trading organisation which linked the Low Countries with the countries on the Baltic Sea. The more intensive trade relations that followed in our Golden Age were of great significance to the Netherlands. Furthermore, there were cultural and academic contacts, for example in the field of religion. In the seventeenth century Lithuanian students studied at Leiden University. And since nineteen thirteen Leiden has had a chair of Balto-Slavic languages, where our students have been able to learn about Lithuanian language and literature for almost a century."

"Mr President,"

"The white stork, Lithuania’s national bird, also occupies a central position in the coat of arms of our seat of government – and also my residence – The Hague. This happy coincidence would seem to be a favourable omen for the further development of our bilateral relations."

"I should like to invite all those present to raise their glasses with me and drink to your health, Mr President, to that of Mrs Adamkienë, to a bright future for your country and to continuing friendship between our two peoples."

Photos: REUTERS