Efforts of Teppo Heiskanen, the director of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office, in promoting Nordic and Lithuanian cooperation were celebrated with the state award. On February 16th in connection with the Day of Restoration of the Lithuanian State Valdas Adamkus, the President of Lithuania, awarded Teppo Heiskanen with the Order of the Merit for Lithuania.
“I feel proud to receive an acknowledgment from a nation that regained its independence against all odds with the power of its own determination. This will always be a personal inspiration for me of doing what is right, not only what is possible”, - Heiskanen told after the award ceremony at the Presidential Palace.
Teppo Heiskanen became the director of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in summer 2003 and during his nearly six years in Lithuania he contributed significantly to the development of Lithuanian and Nordic cooperation in the fields of environment, education, social issues, culture etc.
“I feel privileged having been able to live and work in Lithuania for over five years, witnessing the rapid development of this country as an equal cooperation partner with the Nordic Council of Ministers and within the European Union”, - Heiskanen says.
T. Heiskanen finishes his tenure at the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania on March 1, 2009. The new director of the Office will be Bo Harald Tillberg from Sweden.
The Nordic Council of Ministers Office was the first representation of international organization, it opened in Vilnius in February 1991. The Office acts as a liaison between Nordic and Lithuanian official bodies, provides information about Nordic cooperation, promotes Nordic culture and administers several exchange programmes and other projects in Lithuania.
For more information:
Saulius Abraskevicius
The Nordic Council of Ministers Office
Tel. +370 5 212 22 11
E-mail: saulius@norden.lt
www.norden.lt
Updated 2/18/2009