Subscribe here: [ Ссылка ] Viktorija Čmilytė Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania debates with President Roberta Metsola. Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, participates in the commemoration of the Day of the Defenders of Freedom and Award Ceremony of the Freedom Prize during her official visit to Vilnius (Lithuania). The Freedom Prize is an award given by the Seimas. It was established to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Soviet aggression against the independent state of Lithuania; to honour the memory of the victims who died for Lithuania’s freedom in 1991; to stress the need to further promote the development of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and equal cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe. The 2023 Freedom Prize was awarded to the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. The prize is awarded for support for the achievement of Lithuania's independence, for contribution to the defence of human rights and the development of democracy.
Subscribe here: [ Ссылка ] The European Parliament was awarded the Freedom Prize of the Republic of Lithuania, and President Metsola the Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.
At the award ceremony today in Vilnius, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola thanked the Seimas, the Lithuanian Parliament, for its decision to honour the European Parliament with the 2023 Freedom Prize.
President Metsola said in her keynote speech marking the Day of Defenders of Freedom:
“This award does the European Parliament a great honour. It will inspire us to continue our support of democracy. It will inspire us to stand up for Europe. Lithuania knows only too well what is at stake. Why we need Europe to stand up for our freedoms and our values. Why we must stand firmly for Ukraine. Why Europe must be the light that the world sees."
On 23 November 2023, the Seimas awarded the European Parliament and Petras Plumpa, political prisoner and participant in the Lithuanian unarmed anti-Soviet resistance, with the 2023 Freedom Prize of the Republic of Lithuania.
The European Parliament received the Prize for its current efforts to consolidate democracy and human rights, for defending the right of nations to sovereignty, for its unrelenting efforts towards historical justice, for supporting the cause of Lithuania’s freedom and the aspiration of the Soviet-occupied Baltic States towards independence, for the diplomatic assistance to Lithuania that restored its independence, and for its contribution to EU integration. As far back as 1983, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the Soviet Union’s occupation of the Baltic States.
During her visit to Lithuania, Metsola received the Freedom Prize on behalf of the European Parliament. At the award ceremony in Vilnius, she thanked the Seimas, the Lithuanian Parliament for its decision to honour the European Parliament with the 2023 Freedom Prize.
The European Parliament decided to accept only the statuette, a small replica of the Freedom Monument by sculptor Juozas Zikaras, and declined the cash prize, asking the Seimas that the €11,000 is used for a good cause supporting freedom.
The European Parliament received the prize for its current efforts to consolidate democracy and human rights, for defending the right of nations to sovereignty, for its unrelenting efforts towards historical justice, and for its contribution to EU integration.
The Freedom Prize of the Republic of Lithuania is awarded every year on January 13, the Day of the Defenders of Freedom, to mark the events of January 13, 1991, when Soviet troops stormed the Lithuanian Parliament, the TV Tower, and the Lithuanian Radio and Television building, killing 11 peaceful citizens and injuring hundreds of others
Metsola's visit to Lithuania kicked off a series of visits to member states to 'Get out the vote' in the run-up to the European elections on June 8.
During her visits, the President will meet with the country's leadership and hold town hall discussions with young people and civil society representatives.
The Freedom Prize of the Republic of Lithuania is awarded every year on 13 January, the Day of the Defenders of Freedom, to mark the events of 13 January 1991, when Soviet troops stormed the Lithuanian Parliament, the TV Tower, and the Lithuanian Radio and Television building, killing 11 peaceful citizens and injuring hundreds of others.
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