Lithuania joins Eastern European neighbours as a "virtual country"

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday October 30, 2006

Vilnius- Lithuania, a country which only reappeared on world maps in 1991, joined its Eastern European neighbours in the virtual world on Monday with the launch of a website for emigrants. "The website is designed for Lithuanian emigrants around the world. We will aim to make it a virtual Lithuania," the site's editor, Deimante Doksaite, said.

The new site's name - lietuviams.com - comes from the Lithuanian word "for Lithuanians." It offers viewers a range of information in Lithuanian on the country's culture, traditions and current events.

It also provides information for emigrants, such as country- specific entry procedures, work and study regulations, property rent and purchase, and tax systems.

Lithuanians have long been one of their country's chief exports. Since the Russian Empire annexed much of the country in 1795, waves of exiles have left the region to start new lives abroad.

After Lithuania joined the EU in 2004, tens of thousands left their homeland - one of the Union's poorest states - to seek better living conditions in the West. Much media attention has since focused on efforts to attract them back home.

"The site is a central place for all emigrants to keep in touch, but we started it particularly because so many people left the country after EU entry," Doksaite told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Lithuania's exiles are only the latest Eastern European group to have their own website, however. Latvians have already set up their own "virtual Latvia" - latviesi.com - while UK-based Poles have founded polskieforum.co.uk.

Russians living within the EU have their own mutual-support site at eursa.org. However, they face an unusual challenge: sites with more obvious names, such as russian.com and russianeuro.com, specialise in mail-order brides.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency