Petras Vaitiekūnas receives prestigious Palmer Prize in New York
On 29 September in New York, Lithuania’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Petras Vaitiekūnas received the Community of Democracies’ Mark Palmer Prize, which is awarded to diplomats for their merits of advancing democracy and peace in the world.
Ambassador Vaitiekūnas received the prize for his contribution to defending freedoms, democracy and principles of international law in the wake of the Russian aggression against Georgia and Ukraine, and for his efforts to create civil society in Belarus.
The prize was awarded during a civil society event, which was held within the framework of a general debate of the General Assembly of the United Nations. The United States Department of State, which has organized the event, awarded also another two diplomats: the former Ambassador of Sweden to Jordan Charlotte Sparre, who is currently the Ambassador of Sweden to Egypt, and the former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Stephen Robert Ford.
The prize seeks to honour the diplomats who display valour under difficult circumstances, take risks and are inventive in their efforts to assist civil society in advancing democracy.
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