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On June 30 during the opening of the Community of Democracies (CoD) Parliamentary Forum "The Road to Democracy: Role of the Community of Democracies Parliamentary Forum" at the Seimas (Parliament), Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis welcomed the opening of the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Forum for Democracy in Vilnius as a tool for implementing concrete steps to foster and protect democracy worldwide.

"We hope that branches of the Secretariat will start functioning in other capitals, supporting democratic opposition movements and human rights activists," Ažubalis said.
The launch of the Community of Democracies Parliamentary Forum in Vilnius in 2010 was based on the the Washington Declaration of September 25, 2010.

According to Ažubalis, the CoD Parliamentary Forum has already proved to be a very resilient organization and an active generator of great ideas. The Minister hoped that the Forum would continue with even greater capacity "as a tool for implementing concrete steps to foster and protect democracy worldwide."

Ažubalis emphasized the importance of Lithuania's role in global processes. As a member of the European Union Lithuania has always stood and remains at the forefront in supporting the people of Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia on their path to democracy. According to the Minister, Lithuania is not just their neighbour, but also shares painful history, so Lithuanians understand their dreams and aspirations well.

The head of the Lithuanian diplomacy stressed that the dimension of democracy was a permanent component of Lithuania's foreign policy, which included sharing experience in building democratic institutions and democratic practices, and support for the open door policy of the European Union as a very effective way to promote democratic reforms in the neighbouring countries.

"I am sure that today's deliberations will open new horizons on how to offer a friendly hand to people under dictatorships and authoritarian regimes, because, sooner or later, they will prevail in their quest for democracy," the head of the Lithuanian diplomacy said.

However, Ažubalis also warned that a move from oppression to freedom was not an easy ride, and free elections were only a great start of a long journey. Building democratic institutions as well as democratic practices to make democracy work is a tough job, which requires vision and great self-discipline. Therefore, the Minister said that the sharing of experience by democratic countries was indispensable in helping emerging democracies across the globe.

Lithuania passes the biennial Presidency of the Community of Democracies to Mongolia. On this occasion, the Minister expressed hope that Mongolia would also organize a meeting of the Parliamentary Forum for Democracy to further engage parliamentarians and representatives of Asian countries into the process of fostering democratic changes across the globe.