Lithuania has paid homage to Iceland on the day the Baltic nation marked the anniversary of its restored independence.
Iceland was the first nation to officially acknowledge the former Soviet state’s re-independence, and Lithuanians celebrating the anniversary of the momentous day on the capital Vilnius’s Islandijos (Iceland Street) were keen to recognise the North Atlantic island’s gesture.
Revellers were treated to traditional Icelandic music and were given the chance to sample some delicious fish stew cooked up by a Reykjavik chef. Those keen to learn more about the relations between the two northern European nations had the opportunity to listen to a talk between Icelandic Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson and Lithuanian politician Vytautas Landsbergis.
Lithuania considered Iceland’s support as extremely important when reaffirming its independence. In 1991, the Icelandic government announced the country’s acknowledgement of the Lithuanian re-independence, which was confirmed the next year.
Ingve S. Ingvarsson, Iceland’s first envoy to the Baltic nation, presented Lithuania’s Deputy Chair for the Supreme Council, Bronislavas Kuzmickas, with the letters acknowledging the restored independence on 17 September, 1991. Almost a year later, on 14 September, 1992, Dalius Cekuolis was named as Lithuania’s Ambassador to Iceland.