Lithuania is first Baltic country to become associate member of CERN

VILNIUS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that Lithuania became an associate member state of CERN, the first among Baltic states, the Lithuanian Presidency said in a statement released on Tuesday.

An agreement between Lithuania and CERN was signed at the Presidential Palace last June and ratified in parliament in December, admitting the Baltic state as an associate member of CERN.

President Dalia Grybauskaite and CERN director general Fabiola Gianotti are expected to meet in Davos during the World Economic Forum's annual meeting and a delegation from CERN is scheduled to visit Lithuania this year.

Currently, CERN has 22 member states and Lithuania has become the fifth associate member state. Lithuania and CERN have been cooperating since 1993, while a cooperation agreement was signed in 2004. Enditem