The 5 July Government meeting has approved Lithuania’s Indo-Pacific strategy – for secure, resilient, and prosperous future prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Strategy lays down the key interests of Lithuanian activities and priority actions in the region. The document aims at contributing to greater Lithuanian security, higher economic well-being and networking in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The Indo-Pacific Strategy is a new and significant step in strengthening comprehensive cooperation between Lithuania and the region. I am pleased to note that, with the Strategy having been approved, Lithuania now finds itself among global leaders,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Minister Landsbergis expresses his gratitude to representatives of Lithuanian institutions, associations and the academic community for their active involvement in preparing the document and notes that the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius will welcome the heads of Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand and will offer an opportunity to discuss joint actions while implementing the Strategy.
The Strategy highlights the increased strategic importance and impact on geopolitical and global economic processes by the Indo-Pacific in recent years. Geopolitical shifts in the region have a direct effect on our country and the European Union. The overarching interest of Lithuania’s presence in the region is to strengthen the rules-based international order. The Strategy is believed to contribute to sustainable development of the Indo-Pacific as the process might also affect the development, security and prosperity of Lithuania.
The Indo-Pacific is the fastest growing region that houses almost two thirds of the world population. The region is home to three out of five largest economies in the world and produces over 60% of the world’s GDP and a third of the global economic production. It also generates almost a half of the world’s trade in goods and half of the world’s maritime trade. The Strategy stipulate that the development of economic cooperation between Lithuania and the Indo-Pacific is a strategically important part of the Lithuanian economic and foreign policy.
The Strategy underlines another significant pillar of Lithuanian engagement in the region, i.e. active networking based on people-to-people contacts. It states that cooperation between Lithuania and the Indo-Pacific in the areas of science, culture, education, and women and youth empowerment is one of the main preconditions for success. The Strategy provides for more active sharing of Lithuania’s, a modern and democratic country’s, experience, bolstering cooperation in tourism, sports, and education, and engaging the Lithuanian community residing in the Indo-Pacific.
The 2022 statistical data show that the diversification of export markets proved to be beneficial – trade with the Indo-Pacific grew markedly. Trade with Australia grew by 44%, with India by 57%, Indonesia by 106%, Japan by 16%, Malaysia by 34%, Republic of Korea by 22%, Taiwan by 50%, Thailand by 36%, and Vietnam by 20% in from 2021 to 2022. In 2020 to 2022, Lithuania opened embassies in Australia, the Republic of Korea and Singapore and a trade office in Taipei. In their turn, the Indo-Pacific countries are strengthening their representation in Lithuania: Australia has opened its trade office, India has opened an embassy, and the Republic of Korea has expressed its intension to so. Last year 87.2% of goods of Lithuanian origin (EUR 23.7 billion) were exported to likeminded countries in the EU, the European Economic Area, OECD, and NATO.
Lithuania’s Indo-Pacific Strategy has been designed in response to the Government’s goal to strengthen Lithuania’s international position, political and diplomatic relations with likeminded partners in East Asia, ensure security and well-being of Lithuanian citizens, and open new opportunities for Lithuanian exporters in the most advanced global markets.
