Racas receives Lithuanian Diplomacy Star

  • 2012-01-12

VILNIUS - Antanas Racas, signatory of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, former member of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania, was awarded for his contribution to the development of relations between Lithuania and Germany. On Jan. 10, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Azubalis conferred the award of honor of Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs – ‘Lithuanian Diplomacy Star’ on Racas for his long-term work in international affairs.
After the events of January 1991, commissioned by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Supreme Council (Reconstituent Seimas) of Lithuania, Racas set up the Lithuanian Information Bureau in Huttenfeld (Germany), where he worked as the head of the bureau until Nov. 18, November 1991.

After Lithuania regained its independence, Lithuanian information bureaus were established in foreign countries. They performed functions of diplomatic missions and made effort to establish cross-border relations. The goal of the bureau was to inform German politicians about the situation in Lithuania and to secure political support for the newly re-established state of Lithuania.

In 2009, Racas was awarded the Medal of the Baltic Assembly for his role in the Lithuanian Reform Movement ‘SÄ…judis’ and for his work organizing the Baltic Way.