Bayraktar and Lithuania Šiauliai region
After the First World War, when Lithuania decided to proclaim the Declaration of Independence, a difficult problem arose with international recognition and establishment in the newly formed world order. Lithuania to Edward Bernays, a specialist in famous magazines, is asking for a powerful public relations campaign aimed at popularizing Lithuania in the world. I don’t know how much money this public relations campaign cost the emerging state. I guess it really is, but the goal – to popularize Lithuania in the world – has been achieved.
After the restoration of independence after the Soviet occupation, influential public relations agencies were also repeatedly hired to develop a strategy for the presentation of Lithuania in the world. Its aim was to create the image of the state by attracting investment and increasing the number of tourists. The campaign with the slogan “Lithuania – a brave state” was most memorable for me.
In fact, I was skeptical about the investment because such a person would fit artificial and did not reach. Just because our foreign policy seems very, very reactive, we have repeated what the “great ones” said.
Let’s see how it is today. Never before has Lithuania and what is happening in our country been covered in the most influential media. The most prominent journalists speak to the leaders of our state. All this publicity is not just a show off, it is an extremely important investment in the future of Lithuania.
I am well aware that the decision to establish a Taiwanese representation in Lithuania was a risky one. However, it is already clear that it is paying dividends to Lithuania. Yes, we enjoyed strong economic pressure from China and severed trade ties with this giant state. Today, however, unstable Western states are struggling to break these ties because they realize that it is not sustainable with authoritarian regimes. The fact that we have been pioneers has important advantages. In Taiwan, Lithuania is considered one of the most important partners. Significant investments in the production of modern technologies in Lithuania have already been agreed. We have received strong support from the United States, which has declared Lithuania one of its most reliable partners. It is very important that we have the support of other EU countries in solidarity.
I understand that without such an EU response and left alone, if US-China relations had turned towards closer cooperation, they would have found themselves in a dangerous situation. We took risks and won. As when Lithuania decided to acquire a liquefied gas terminal and located it in the port of Klaipeda. Today, all Western countries are jealous of this decision, although when it was adopted, we realized that it was a hedge that would cost us extra. We also knew that all this would pay off if relations with Russia were not smooth.
An impressive civic campaign has become the driving force behind the gathering of Bayraktar drones. Almost six million euros have been raised in a very short time. Even the initiators of the campaign did not expect such success. It is true that there would be critics who said that we should take more care of the Lithuanian people than of the war in Ukraine. In fact, there are no problems in Lithuania either. But let’s realize a few things.
First, investing in Ukraine today is very meaningful, better preventive investment than military action in the territory of Lithuania.
Second, Bayraktar’s campaign did more than all the advertising agencies put together. Lithuania is described in the world as a bold, energetic and active country, where citizens are able to achieve ambitious goals. I do not remember when the Western media wrote about Lithuania with such jealousy. Turkey’s response has been impressive, but pragmatic enough. They gave us the Bayraktar, they didn’t take the money for it. why? Because they realized that our campaign is the best advertisement for Bayraktar, and the act of giving is crucial to thinking about Turkey’s image in the Western world.
Today, Lithuanians are treated as brothers in Ukraine. There is a real Lithuanian boom in Taiwan. In the Western world, no one thinks that Lithuania is a small, insignificant country. We are really valued and that recognition will inevitably translate into economic benefits. It is very important for us to understand that an effective foreign policy is not juggling declarations. This is a very important area that Lithuania should perform in the new world order. It is obvious that after the war in Ukraine, the role of Lithuania, like all of Eastern and Northern Europe, will increase. It is important that we realize that we are not just statisticians, and that foreign policy also determines how we live or how we move closer to prosperity.