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President Dalia Grybauskaitė paid an official visit to the Order of Malta, which has a special legal status on the international arena. The Order operates as a separate state, has its Constitution, mints its coins, and maintains diplomatic relations with 104 states, including Lithuania. The Order is made up of knights and the Relief Organization. This organization operates in Lithuania under the patronage of the German Order of Malta.

With a network of more than 80 thousand volunteers, the Order of Malta operates across the world to provide assistance to the poor and the sick. Recently, it has placed special focus on helping refugees.

During the meeting, the President and the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing, discussed the Order’s activities in Lithuania, projects on voluntary work and assistance to each other as well as their importance in building a socially responsible society.

The Order of Malta Relief Organization, set up in Lithuania 24 years ago, currently brings together almost 1 000 members to provide social assistance in 28 Lithuanian cities. Social day care centers for children established by the Maltese operate in 10 Lithuanian cities, and the projects Meals on Wheels and Social Homecare, delivering assistance to single elderly people who live in poverty, are carried out across the country. This year, the fundraising campaign Maltese Soup will be launched for the tenth time in Lithuania.

The Order of Malta contributes to the annual Christmas Charity Fair held at the initiative of the President and organized by NGOs at the Presidential Palace, during which money is raised for socially vulnerable people.

Dalia Grybauskaitė presented Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing with the Order of Vytautas the Great with the golden chain for the Order’s special activities in Lithuania and for the promotion of charity and humanitarian values.

The Lithuanian President, who is an active supporter of the activities carried out by the Order of Malta, was presented with the Collar pro Merito Melitensi, the highest Sovereign Order of Malta’s order conferred in recognition of special merits in promoting charitable activities, voluntary work, humanitarian values, and assistance to those in need.

“The charitable activities carried out by the Maltese in Lithuania for more than twenty years have taught us voluntary work, have shown how we can help people around us and share what we have. Each year our country sees an increase in volunteer projects and projects on assistance to each other, reducing alienation and social divide as well as helping disadvantaged people. We all can contribute to building a better world,” the President said.

According to Dalia Grybauskaitė, the activities of the Order of Malta are an outstanding example when voluntary work and simple but effective efforts help the most deprived and disadvantaged people. The people of Lithuania also trust the activities of the Order of Malta. In 2014 it received almost 36 thousand euros from people in our country allocating 2 percent of their personal income tax to the Order.
 

Press Service of the President