President Moon Jae-in and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, who is visiting Korea to attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, held a summit at Cheong Wa Dae from 4:00 this afternoon. During their 35-minute talks, the two Presidents discussed the direction of future developments in bilateral relations and measures to work together on North Korea policy.

President Moon noted that President Grybauskaite was not only the first female President but also the first President re-elected in Lithuanian history, giving high marks to her leadership in furthering Lithuania’s democratic progress and economic growth. 

Moreover, President Moon pointed to the fact that Korea would celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Provisional Government next year and that Lithuania would mark the centennial of its independence on February 16 during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. He said he felt a sense of close affinity as the two countries shared such similar historical experiences.

In reply, President Grybauskaite expressed delight on her third visit to Korea as president. Noting that she attended the christening ceremony in 2014 for an LNG carrier built by a Korean shipbuilder, the Lithuanian President said the LNG carrier served as a stepping stone for her country to achieve energy independence, which also helped advance bilateral ties between the two nations.  

President Grybauskaite also said she actively supported the Korean Government`s will to maintain the peace momentum even after the close of the PyeongChang Olympics.  

President Moon expressed his appreciation to his counterpart for the fact that Lithuania, a key member of the European Union and NATO, has been showing strong support for the Korean Government`s North Korea policy. The President went on to request Lithuania`s continued support so that the atmosphere for inter-Korean talks and reconciliation created on the occasion of the PyeongChang Olympics would last in the days to come.   

President Moon also thanked the Lithuanian President for sending a message of condolence and consolation after the fire in a hospital in Miryang. 

In addition, President Moon expressed gratitude for the heads of state in all the three Baltic nations—Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia—coming to Korea for the success of the PyeongChang Olympics. The President went on to say that the visit by the three leaders would become a significant milestone to advance relations between Korea and the three Baltic nations. 

Present at the summit from the Lithuanian side were Lithuanian Ambassador to Korea Ina Marciulionyte, Chief Advisor to the President on Sports and Culture Ruta Kackute and Advisor to the President on Press Liudas Zakarevicius. On the Korean side were Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha, Second Deputy Director of National Security Nam Gwan-pyo and Secretary to the President for Foreign Policy Shin Chae-hyun.