On November 22, the State Language Protection Commissioner, Taras Kremin, met with Valdemaras Sarapinas, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine.

The Commissioner thanked the Ambassador for the assistance of the Lithuanian people in increasing the sanctions against the russian federation for its war crimes in Ukraine, including the facts of genocide-linguocide against the Ukrainian people. He presented to Valdemaras Sarapinas the materials of the report "The Russian policy of linguocide in the occupied territories of Ukraine as a way of dismantling the constitutional system of Ukraine and an element of the genocide of the Ukrainian people" delivered at the International Conference of the European Federation of National Institutions for Language (EFNIL) “Language and Migration” which took place on October 12-13 in Vilnius.

Taras Kremin also focused on the issues of the spread of the Ukrainian language in the world and assistance in meeting the language needs of Ukrainians abroad and citizens of Ukraine who were forced to find themselves far outside the country due to the war. Thus, separate institutions have been reorganized in Lithuania and classes have been created for immigrants from Ukraine, in which education is carried out according to state standards and educational programs of Ukraine. 5 lessons of the Ukrainian language per week have been introduced there. And recently, a Ukrainian class named after Heroes of Krut was opened in Kaunas at the General Povilas Plechavičius Cadet Lyceum. Detailed information is available on the website of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania.

"It is important for Ukraine that in those countries where Ukrainian refugees are located, there should be optimal conditions for ensuring the educational process. And this is the preservation of ties with Ukrainian education, the opportunity to study according to Ukrainian programs, the need to teach the disciplines of the Ukrainian studies component: Ukrainian language, Ukrainian literature, the history of Ukraine, as well as the employment of our teachers," the Commissioner emphasized.

The parties agreed on further cooperation in the field of spreading the Ukrainian language in the Republic of Lithuania by expanding the network of language courses for various categories of citizens, including Ukrainian studies in academic programs at leading universities, and continuing student academic mobility programs.