Israel–Lithuania relations are foreign relations between Israel and Lithuania. Israel recognized Lithuania's independence in 1991. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. Israel is represented in Lithuania through its embassy in Vilnius which was opened in 2015.[1] [2] Lithuania has an embassy in Tel Aviv.
There are 3,600 Jews living in Lithuania. Both countries are full members of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Before the Holocaust, Lithuania was home for 160,000 Jews which were 7% of the population.[3] Some Lithuanians honored the fighters who fought the Soviet Union ignoring the fact that many of them are Nazi collaborators. The Lithuanian government and society are shifting from the historical past as Lithuania built good relationship with Israel as Lithuania acknowledge the Israeli security needs, the rise of bilateral relations in the filed of economy, tourism, culture, and more. Antisemitic movements as BDS are minimal in Lithuania,[4] as the country combat antisemitism and brings the Jewish culture to be more presence.[5] [6] [7]
In 2019 the prime minister of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis considered to move the embassy to Jerusalem.[8]
In 2022 Israel gifted the capital city Vilnius a paint wall to celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations.[9]
After the massacre of 7 October made by Hamas and other Palestinians, as around 1,200 murdered the Lithuanian government and society showed full support to Israel and the Jewish people in Lithuania. The Lithuanian parliament condemned the Hamas attacks in Israel with 108 votes.[10] The Lithuanian society demonstrated their support to Israel many times including ceremonies and demonstrations.[11] [12] The Lithuanian Air Force was sent to Israel multipole times to evacuate Lithuanian citizens.[13]
| 1994 | The Lithuanian prime minister Adolfas Šleževičius visits Israel | The first Lithuanian Prime Minister to visit Israel | |
| 1995 | The Lithuanian President Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas visits Israel | The first Lithuanian President to visit Israel | |
| 2005 | The Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus visits Israel | ||
| 2008 | The Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas visits Israel | ||
| 2010 | The Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius visits Israel | ||
| 2012 | The Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis visits Israel | ||
| 2013 | The Israeli President Shimon Peres visits Lithuania | The first Israeli President to visit Lithuania | |
| 2014 | The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman visits Lithuania | ||
| 2015 | Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius visits Israel | ||
| 2015 | Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė visits Israel | ||
| 2017 | Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius visits Israel | ||
| 2018 | The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Lithuania | The first Israeli Prime Minister to visit Lithuania | |
| 2018 | Lithuanian Speaker of the Seimas Viktoras Pranckietis visits Israel | ||
| 2019 | Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis visits Israel | ||
| 2020 | Lithuanian Speaker of the Seimas Viktoras Pranckietis visits Israel | ||
| 2022 | Lithuanian Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen visits Israel | ||
| 2023 | Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis visits Israel | ||
| 2023 | Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė visits Israel | ||
| TBA | The Israeli President Isaac Herzog visits Lithuania | Postponed[17] |
Israel and Lithuania trade is also influenced by the EU - Israel Free Trade Agreement from 1995.[18] [19]
| 2023 | 126.9 | 56.4 | 183.3 | |
| 2022 | 109 | 38.2 | 147.2 | |
| 2021 | 102.3 | 37.1 | 139.4 | |
| 2020 | 81.8 | 39.7 | 121.5 | |
| 2019 | 68.9 | 36.3 | 105.2 | |
| 2018 | 61.1 | 38.3 | 99.4 | |
| 2017 | 44.6 | 39.3 | 83.9 | |
| 2016 | 38.5 | 32.1 | 70.6 | |
| 2015 | 32.9 | 31.6 | 64.5 | |
| 2014 | 23.4 | 51.7 | 75.1 | |
| 2013 | 26.9 | 43.5 | 70.4 | |
| 2012 | 35.1 | 46.1 | 81.2 | |
| 2011 | 33.3 | 38.9 | 72.2 | |
| 2010 | 22.1 | 30.7 | 52.8 | |
| 2009 | 13.7 | 19.8 | 33.5 | |
| 2008 | 24.5 | 42.4 | 66.9 | |
| 2007 | 21.8 | 26.2 | 48 | |
| 2006 | 15.1 | 19 | 34.1 | |
| 2005 | 9.6 | 14.1 | 23.7 | |
| 2004 | 3.1 | 9 | 12.1 | |
| 2003 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 8.3 | |
| 2002 | 3.2 | 5 | 8.2 |
Since 2001 Israel and Lithuania abolished the need for visa to travel.[28]
Lithuania puts efforts to market the tourism for the Israeli visitors as the number of tourists from Israel increase.[29] After the massacre of 7 October in 2023, Lithuania was shown by many Israeli media outlets as friendly, non-antisemitic, safe, green, interesting, and great cool escae from the summer.[30] [31] [32]
| Tourists form Arriving to | 12,400 | 6,900 | 800 | 7,900 | 23,300 | 19,200 | 17,900 | |
| Tourists form Arriving to | 27,790 | 24,895 | 6,848 | 2,847 | 30,205 | 26,023 | 20,400 |