TeliaSonera to award Lithuanian emigrants to facilitate repatriation process in Lithuania

TeliaSonera today announced yet another award to be granted under the project “Destination Home”, tailored to encourage Lithuanian emigrants to return to their country.

The award of LTL 20,000 will be granted to any Lithuanian, foreign organisation or person whose activities demonstrate a major contribution to the process of repatriating Lithuanians living abroad or encouraging Lithuanians to stay in their country. The “Destination Home project” was launched by TeliaSonera in December 2006.

“As the Baltic region’s leading telecommunications company, we have a direct interest in economic health of the region but also a responsibility to contribute to sustainable development”, says Kenneth Karlberg, President of Business Area Mobility Services, TeliaSonera. “Emigration of active citizens has become an acute problem, not only to the private sector but to society as a whole, and we want to provide tangible assistance to help solving it.”

“During the first stage of the project, we presented an award to a scientist who on his own initiative returned to work in Lithuania”, Kenneth Karlberg continues. “We will now select
an individual or an organisation that encourages other Lithuanians to return to or stay in
their country.”

Nominees for the award will be chosen by a special awards commission. During the second stage, candidates can register or be registered until November 16, 2007. By the beginning of December, the awards commission will select a winner that will be presented the LTL 20,000 award by TeliaSonera.

About the Destination Home project
The “Destination Home” project of TeliaSonera encourages Lithuanian businesses, authorities, public organisations, and individuals to take a more active part in the repatriation process in Lithuania. The project was launched in December of 2006, and in June, upon the completion of the first stage of the project, a scholarship of LTL 100,000 was awarded to biochemist Daumantas Matulis, who had worked abroad for 11 years.