The President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausèda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė were received by Grand Master Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto in the Magistral Palace on 8 November.
Numerous topics were broached in over 45 minutes of talks. The president reiterated his appreciation for the Order of Malta’s work in his country and the grand master thanked the president, his wife and the Lithuanian authorities for their constant support.
Malteser Lithuania, said the president, who took office last July, ‘assists the weakest and most vulnerable members of our society. It promotes voluntary service and fosters values of understanding, compassion and solidarity. For the Order of Malta, the doors of the Presidential Palace are always open’.
Malteser Lithuania was established in 1991. At present 1,500 volunteers provide social services in 40 towns in the Baltic country. Children, the elderly poor and the disabled are the main beneficiaries of a network of activities and social support.
Diana Nausėdienė sponsored the latest charity campaign “Small Ideas – Big Ideas” organised by Malteser Lithuania for educational equipment to enable disadvantaged children to attend school. In December, the first lady will inaugurate the Order of Malta’s fourteenth fund-raising campaign. Donations will be collected in the streets nationwide for assisting and providing meals for poor and lonely people.
International issues were also discussed, such as peace and security, the situation in the region, Lithuania’s engagement in peace-keeping missions abroad, as well as the need for greater solidarity among European nations to tackle the migration problem. ‘We are particularly grateful to the Order of Malta for their cooperation in transferring know-how in refugee integration. This international experience is essential for us,’ the president said.
At the end of the meeting the president invited the grand master to visit his country. The grand master said he was honoured by the invitation and confirmed his intention to visit Lithuania and the Order of Malta’s activities there and ‘to continue to work together to build a better world’.
