The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Lithuania held an official reception dedicated to May 28 - Independence Day.

The event was attended by representatives of the Lithuanian government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prosecutor General Nida Grunskiene, the Chairman and members of the Lithuanian Seimas, including the Group on Interparliamentary Relations with Azerbaijan, public and political figures, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Vilnius, members of the Azerbaijani diaspora, as well as Azerbaijanis living and studying in this country.

After the national anthems of Lithuania and Azerbaijan were played, our country's ambassador to Lithuania, Tamerlan Garayev, spoke about the history of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first secular and democratic state established in the East in 1918, and said that the Republic, which existed for about two years and was remembered for the important steps it took and the historical decisions it made, collapsed in 1920 with the Bolshevik occupation. He noted that at that time, prominent representatives of the Lithuanian Tatars, Macie (Suleyman bey) Sulkevich, served as Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Army, and brothers Olgred and Leon (Aslan bey) Krichinsky, served as Deputy Minister of Justice and Head of the Government Apparatus, respectively, contributing to the establishment of the newly established independent Azerbaijani state.

The ambassador spoke about the stage of development our country has gone through after regaining its state independence, its development, strengthening, day by day strengthening, great successes in all fields and becoming a favorable partner in the international community under the successful policy and leadership of the President of Azerbaijan, the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. Noting the successes Azerbaijan has achieved in recent years, the ambassador drew attention to the important role Azerbaijan has played in ensuring Europe's energy security through the restoration of the territorial integrity of our country, the clearance of our territories from mines in the post-occupation period and the restoration and reconstruction work here, the diversification of the country's economy, the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project, and the successful hosting of major international events such as COP29.
 

The Ambassador emphasized that 2025 has been declared the "Year of Constitution and Sovereignty" in Azerbaijan, and said that this is a clear indicator of the importance of the Constitution in the formation of democracy, protection of human rights and ensuring the rule of law in our country, as well as the full sovereignty of Azerbaijan over the entire territory.
 

Touching upon the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Lithuania, Ambassador T. Garayev said that in November of this year the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries will be celebrated, and that over the past 30 years relations have developed on the basis of friendship and mutual respect, and cooperation in the political, economic, educational and cultural spheres has expanded. He expressed his belief that this trend will continue in the coming years and will serve to deepen the bonds of friendship between the two peoples.

The event continued with videos dedicated to Azerbaijan and the accompaniment of national music.