NEWS

Both cities have the plans to cooperate in the fields of tourism, culture, education, sports, environment protection, economy and business development, public administration and self-governing.

"Cooperation with Georgia is one of the most important directions of Lithuanian foreign policy. Our states have been cherishing friendly contacts for a long. Now we are planning to fix them on municipal level by signing a Partnership Agreement with the City of Rustavi. I am sure that cooperation will be of mutual benefit",- says the Mayor Rytis Mykolas Račkauskas.

Cooperation contacts with a Georgian City of Rustavi started in 2007 with the help of the former Amabassador of Georgia in Lithuania and the Embassy of Lithuania in Georgia. At that time, the City Council of Panevėžys has taken the decision to start cooperation contacts with Rustavi. In 2008, when Georgia has been facing hard times, cooperation relations stopped but already in 2009, the invitation from the Mayor of Rustavi City to visit Rustavi was received.

Official delegations of Panevėžys City has been visiting the events of  Rustavi Days since 2010. The Theatre of Rustavi City and Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre have been cooperating. Two Georgian plays "Hello, People!" and "I, the Grandmother and Ilarion" have been presented to people of Panevėžys.

In spring of 2015 the Folk Dance Group "Miestelėnai" payed a visit to Rustavi and in October the Letter of Cooperation Intent between both cities was signed.

The next step is signing of Partnership Agreement and it is planned in September in Rustavi. This city would become the 13th partner city of Panevėžys.

At present, Panevėžys cooperates with the following partner cities: Lunen(Germany), Kalmar (Sweden), Goes (the Nertherlands), Lublin (Poland), Kolding (Denmark), Mytyshi and Kaliningrad (Russia, Daugavpils (Latvia), Gabrovo (Bulgaria), Rakvere (Estonia), Vinycia (Ukraine) and Maramures (Romania).