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 Israel |  Lithuania |
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Israel–Lithuania relations are foreign relations betweenIsrael andLithuania. Israel recognized Lithuania's independence in 1991. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. Israel is represented in Lithuania through its embassy inVilnius which was opened in 2015.[1][2] Lithuania has an embassy inTel Aviv.
There are 3,600Jews living in Lithuania. Both countries are full members of theUnion for the Mediterranean.
Beforethe Holocaust, Lithuania was home for 160,000 Jews which were 7% of the population.[3]
In 2019, the prime minister of LithuaniaSaulius Skvernelis considered relocating the Lithuanian embassy to Israel toJerusalem.[4]
In 2022, Israel gifted the capital city of Lithuania,Vilnius, a paint wall to celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations.[5]
The Lithuanian parliament condemnedOctober 7 attacks against Israel in 2023 with 108 votes.[6]The Lithuanian society demonstrated their support to Israel many times including ceremonies and demonstrations.[clarify][7][8] The Lithuanian Air Force was sent to Israel multiple times to evacuate Lithuanian citizens.[9]
On 21 November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuedarrest warrants for two senior Israeli officials,Benjamin Netanyahu, thePrime Minister of Israel, andYoav Gallant, the formerMinister of Defense of Israel, The Foreign Ministry confirmed that the arrest warrant would be executed.[10]
In April 2025, Kestutis Budrys said "Lithuania is monitoring what is being proposed by France and could also recognize a Palestinian state, but only "at the right time".[11]
| Year | Visit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Lithuanian prime ministerAdolfas Šleževičius visits Israel | The first Lithuanian Prime Minister to visit Israel |
| 1995 | The Lithuanian PresidentAlgirdas Mykolas Brazauskas visits Israel | The first Lithuanian President to visit Israel |
| 2005 | The Lithuanian PresidentValdas Adamkus visits Israel | |
| 2008 | The Lithuanian Minister of Foreign AffairsPetras Vaitiekūnas visits Israel | |
| 2010 | The Lithuanian Prime MinisterAndrius Kubilius visits Israel | |
| 2012 | The Lithuanian Minister of Foreign AffairsAudronius Ažubalis visits Israel | |
| 2013 | The Israeli PresidentShimon Peres visits Lithuania | The first Israeli President to visit Lithuania |
| 2014 | The Israeli Minister of Foreign AffairsAvigdor Liberman visits Lithuania | |
| 2015 | Lithuanian Prime MinisterAlgirdas Butkevičius visits Israel | |
| 2015 | Lithuanian PresidentDalia Grybauskaitė visits Israel | |
| 2017 | Lithuanian Minister of Foreign AffairsLinas Linkevičius visits Israel | |
| 2018 | The Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu visits Lithuania | The first Israeli Prime Minister to visit Lithuania |
| 2018 | Lithuanian Speaker of the Seimas Viktoras Pranckietis visits Israel | |
| 2019 | Lithuanian Prime MinisterSaulius 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 AffairsGabrielius Landsbergis visits Israel | |
| 2023 | Lithuanian Prime MinisterIngrida Šimonytė visits Israel | |
| TBA | The Israeli PresidentIsaac Herzog visits Lithuania | Postponed[15] |
Israel and Lithuania trade is also influenced by the EU - Israel Free Trade Agreement from 1995.[16][17]
 Israel imports
|  Lithuania imports
| Total trade value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.[26]
Lithuania puts efforts to market the tourism for the Israeli visitors as the number of tourists from Israel increase.[27] 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.[28][29][30]
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourists formLithuania Arriving to | 12,400 | 6,900 | 800 | 7,900 | 23,300 | 19,200 | 17,900 |
| Tourists formIsrael Arriving to | 27,790 | 24,895 | 6,848 | 2,847 | 30,205 | 26,023 | 20,400 |
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