On this date
(October 2) 25 years ago, George H. Bush was the President of the United
States, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch were sending out “Good Vibrations”
across American airways, and Darryl N. Johnson opened the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius.
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| The first U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, Darryl N. Johnson, 1992 |
The United States has long enjoyed a
close friendship with Lithuania, dating back to July 28, 1922, when the U.S.
established diplomatic relations with Lithuania. The opening of the Embassy in Vilnius in 1991
marks the beginning of an important chapter in that story.
Between 1922
and 1940, the U.S. Government maintained its diplomatic presence in Kaunas,
Lithuania’s interwar capital. In total,
eleven U.S. consuls served at the American Legation in Kaunas until the USSR
occupied and annexed Lithuania, as well as Estonia and Latvia.
America’s
steadfast refusal to recognize the forced incorporation of Lithuania into the
Soviet Union continued for 51 years. During
this period, the U.S. Government permitted Lithuanian representatives
accredited by the last independent government to remain in the United States
with diplomatic status.
As Vice President Joe Biden told the
peoples of the Baltics when he visited Riga in August 2016, “Even when your
nation’s flags could not fly here in Riga, even when they could not fly in
Vilnius, even they could not fly in Tallinn, they waved proudly in Washington,
D.C. ”
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| Vice President Joe Biden’s address to the peoples of the Baltics in Riga, Latvia, August 2016 |
The U.S. Government
was proud to recognize the restoration of Lithuania’s independence on September
2, 1991, in an announcement by President George H.W. Bush.
“The Baltic
peoples of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and their democratically elected
governments have declared their independence and are moving now to control
their own national territories and their own destinies,” said President Bush at
a news conference in Kennebunkport, Maine. “The United States has always supported the independence of the Baltic
States and is now prepared immediately to establish diplomatic relations with
their governments. The United States is also prepared to do whatever it can to
assist in the completion of the current process of making Baltic independence a
factual reality.”
Four days
later, on September 6, the United States and Lithuania resumed normal
diplomatic relations when U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Curtis
Kamman and the Lithuanian First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Valdemaras
Katkus, signed a memorandum of understanding concerning diplomatic relations.
One month
from the date of President Bush’s announcement, on October 2, the U.S. Embassy
in Vilnius opened. The ribbon-cutting
was led by Vice-President Dan Quayle and Darryl Johnson, Chargé d'Affaires ad
interim, who soon became the first U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania.
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| Vice-President Dan Quayle, Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius, and Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Darryl Johnson at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at U.S. Embassy Vilnius, February 1992. Also pictured: Marilyn Quayle, Deputy Prime Minister Zigmas Vaišvila, Member of Parliament Romualdas Ozolas, and Member of Parliament Kazimieras Motieka |
In the 25 years since, our shared democratic values and commitment to addressing today’s global challenges have strengthened our countries’ strategic relationship. Since 1992, the U.S. Embassy has worked diligently to deepen the connections and cultural ties between our two countries. More than 1,000 Lithuanians have visited the United States on U.S. Government-funded exchanges and returned home to help strengthen a growing and developing Lithuania. Many others have traveled on private exchanges, studied at U.S. universities, developed business relationships, or visited friends and family in the U.S.
Since
re-establishing its independence, Lithuania has taken on increasingly prominent
roles in transatlantic and global institutions to meet these challenges – roles
that many would be unable to predict just 26 years ago.
In total,
six Secretaries of State have visited Lithuania and in 2002, President George
W. Bush visited Vilnius. “Anyone who would choose Lithuania as an
enemy has also made an enemy of the United States of America,'' President Bush
told a crowd in front of City Hall. ''In the face of aggression, the brave
people of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will never stand alone again.''
The U.S.
Embassy in Vilnius has vigorously supported the U.S.- Lithuania relationship
for the past 25 years, under the leadership of 13 different Ambassadors, and
looks forward to continuing this support for many years to come.
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| Vice-President Dan Quayle arrives in Vilnius, Lithuania in February 1992 |
