President received letters of credence from ambassadors of Andorra and Angola

President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus received letters of credence from the Ambassador of the Principality of Andorra Mr. Jaume Gaytan and the Ambassador of the Republic of Angola Mr. Domingos Culolo.

Accepting letters of credence from the Ambassador of Andorra, the President congratulated him as the first Andorra's ambassador to Lithuania. “The appointment of an ambassador provides excellent opportunities to consolidate relations between our two countries and draw up new guidelines for cooperation,” the President said.

President Adamkus underlined that although the two countries established diplomatic relations eleven years ago, there was still a lot of work to be done in developing them. “I am confident that your assignment here will help strengthen cooperation between Lithuania and Andorra and accelerate it at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels,” the President said.

According to the President, tourism is an especially promising segment of bilateral relations, as it holds an important place in both Andorra’s and Lithuania’s economies. The President wished to the Ambassador that his work in this capacity helped the people and the business communities of the two countries improve their knowledge and understanding of each other.

President Adamkus also recalled that the two countries had found many common points of agreement in the United Nations where they extended friendly support to each other's candidates for positions of importance to the countries. “We must continue working actively together in international organizations towards attaining common goals, developing democracy, protecting human rights and addressing global issues,” the President said.
Accepting letters of credence from the Ambassador of Angola, Lithuania's Head of State noted that this was an important event for the development of diplomatic relations between the two states.

“Angola has walked a long way since the end of the civil war in restoring unity and peace in the country. I welcome the general elections successfully held last month and the peaceful announcement of their results. This is a proof of national reconciliation and an excellent example to follow for the whole Africa,” the President said. President Adamkus underlined that the European Union Member States, including Lithuania, were ready to help Angola to revive its economy and consolidate democratic processes.

President Adamkus also noted with pleasure the increasingly strong cultural relations between Lithuania and African countries. “For Lithuanian artists, Africa is a source of inspiration, an inexhaustible and unexplored treasure of nature and culture,” the President said. President Adamkus expressed hope that this appointment of the ambassador would give a new impetus for the two states to develop their cultural, diplomatic, political and commercial relations and that at least one bilateral agreement would be signed to strengthen mutual cooperation.

“Lithuania's seamen know Angola's waters perfectly well as many of them work in your country,” the President said. The President also noted that the potential of economic cooperation was not fully realized yet and that businesspeople of the two countries could still find mutually-beneficial business niches.

President Adamkus also said he hoped that Lithuanian and Angola would continue their successful cooperation in international organizations and would work together towards building peace, stability and confidence in the world.