High-level Meeting to Commemorate the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the United Nations
26 October 2020
Lithuania
H.E. Mr. Linas Linkevi?ius
Statement Summary
LINAS LINKEVI?IUS, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, said the Organization’s seventy-fifth anniversary is about celebrating the Organization’s great achievements while also recognizing the gaps between a desired future and reality. Much work is needed to implement the Sustainable Development Goals, end protracted conflicts around the world, protect human rights and meet new public health challenges. Lithuania is one of the very few full-fledged members of the League of Nations that disappeared from the world map after the Second World War. It was not able to become a founding member of the United Nations and signatory to the Charter. Instead, the country experienced lawlessness, disregard of international law and aggression. Lithuania’s history obliges it to counter attempts to distort historical facts and whitewash crimes by totalitarian regimes. Next year, Lithuania will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of its United Nations membership, she said, adding that the country’s past has made the preservation of liberty, freedom and democracy a national priority.
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