I am delighted to be in Lithuania on the first-ever trip by a Secretary-General of the United Nations to this country. And I thank you for your very kind hospitality and courtesies and friendship shown to me and to my delegation which I am bringing back to the United Nations.

With President Grybauskaite, I have been working very closely during the last several years as Secretary-General and herself as President. She has been one of the most committed and most visible and active leaders for whom I have had deep admiration, respect. And while I have been meeting her in New York and some other countries outside Lithuania, this is a real pleasure for me to meet her in Vilnius as Secretary-General. Again, thank you very much.

My visit wraps up here a visit to all the Baltic States.

I have been inspired by this region’s commitment to democracy, human rights and sustainable development.

The Baltic countries are small – but they are having a big impact in the international politics and development and human rights.

At every stop, I spoke with top leaders about global crises. On Syria, I stressed the urgency of humanitarian aid for the millions of people who are suffering in the country. And I have spoken to the President [of Lithuania] this morning. I also restated my strong call for a political solution that will end the fighting and begin the transition to a new chapter written by the Syrian people.

I was encouraged by the engagement of the Baltic States, including Lithuania, in peace and security issues. They are sharing valuable experience with countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. As President of the European Union, I count deeply and heavily on the leadership of President Grybauskaite on the success of the Eastern Partnership meeting which will be held later this month.

In all of my meetings, I had in-depth talks on the future of Afghanistan after 2014.

Regarding sustainable development, I emphasized to the President the importance of accelerating and meeting the Millennium Development Goals by the end of 2015. Secondly, I am urging the Member States of the United Nations to agree on a very ambitious, concise and coherent [framework on] sustainable development. I am also going to invite the leaders of the world to a climate change summit meeting which I am going to convene next year.

Baltic countries are showing how to use technology for development. And I applaud this region and leaders of this region for sharing their expertise on information technology with other countries.

My visit also focused on empowering women. I always raise this issue with leaders. In the Baltic countries, I was encouraged by the progress you have made in working for greater equality, especially in political life.

Your President, President Grybauskaite, is an excellent example of women’s leadership in Government.

We had a very productive meeting. I thanked her for being a strong partner of the United Nations across our agenda, from peace and security to arms control to the Millennium Development Goals.

I congratulated the President on Lithuania's Presidency of the European Union.

Since becoming a Member State of the United Nations in 1991, Lithuania has inspired others through its peaceful rise on the world stage. It has sought to be a good regional neighbour and to share with others near and far its experiences in making the transition to democracy.

I congratulate most sincerely Lithuania on its election to the United Nations Security Council starting in January. This is a great honour and great achievement as well as a formidable responsibility for international peace and security. I encourage Lithuania to use its seat on the Council to further contribute to international peace and security.

My talks here with officials, including the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, have been very fruitful. I also saw an impressive solar energy project. I was especially inspired to speak yesterday to young people at Vytautas Magnus University.

I leave here confident of Lithuania’s commitment to global citizenship.

Next, I will be traveling to Poland today where I will visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. I am going there to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and to emphasize the importance of the UN’s global work for genocide prevention, tolerance and peace.

I thank Lithuania for its commitment to these efforts as well. At a time of such important challenges for the human family, we need to join hands against hatred and divisiveness and pull together as one for all peace and security.

Thank you very much.