President Higgins to undertake State Visit to Latvia and Official Visit to Lithuania
Date: Wed 13th Jun, 2018 | 11:11
President Michael D. Higgins today confirmed that he has accepted an invitation from H.E. the President of the Republic of Latvia, H.E. Mr. Raimonds Vējonis to undertake a State Visit to Latvia.
The State Visit comes in the year that Latvia celebrates the centenary of its declaration of independence in 1918 and will serve to further strengthen and deepen Ireland’s relations with the country, and its neighbours across the Nordic and Baltic region.
The State Visit to Latvia will be followed by an Official Visit to Lithuania.
Programme
The State Visit will start on Monday 18 June, with an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Riga, after which President Higgins will have a bilateral meeting with President Vējonis.
President Higgins will lay flowers at the Freedom Monument in the capital, followed by a book donation ceremony at the National Library and an official luncheon in honour of President and Mrs Higgins, hosted by President Vējonis. In the afternoon, President and Sabina Higgins will receive a walking tour of the historic centre of Riga.
The following day, on 19 June, President and Sabina Higgins will commence an Official Visit to Lithuania.
The Official Visit will begin with an official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius, followed by a bilateral meeting between President Higgins and the President of the Republic of Lithuania, H.E. Ms. Dalia Grybauskaitė.
President Higgins will lay a wreath at the Antakalnis cemetery in Vilnius, before travelling to the Seimas, Lithuania’s national parliament, for a meeting with Speaker of the Parliament, H.E. Mr. Viktoras Pranckietis.
In the evening, the President will host a reception for members of the Irish diaspora living in Lithuania.
On the second day of the Official Visit (20 June), President Higgins will address a breakfast meeting of Irish and Lithuanian business leaders.
Later that morning, the President will receive an honorary doctorate at Vytautas Magnus University. The President will deliver an address on “Ireland, Lithuania and the future of the European Union – the importance of values.”
In the afternoon, the President and Sabina will travel to the city of Kaunas, for meetings with the Mayor and other leaders.