VILNIUS, Lithuania Cheering crowds waving Lithuanian and British flags greeted Queen Elizabeth II in the Lithuanian capital Tuesday as the British monarch started a four-day tour of the Baltic states, her first visit to the region.
The queen waved and smiled to some 3,000 people gathered outside City Hall where she arrived with her husband, Prince Philip, and Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus. She made several stops to chat with people in the crowd. "I came here to witness a historic event. A visit by the British queen is another important sign that Lithuania has returned to the European family after many years," said 54-year-old history teacher Dana Juodiene. Lithuania and its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Latvia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.The three countries have made giant leaps economically since breaking away from the Soviet Union in 1991 but remain among the poorest members of the EU.
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