In an in-depth conversation with The Pioneer, Lithuania Ambassador Diana Mickeviciene spoke about India-Lithuania trade dynamics, high-tech cooperation, her country’s surprising role in India’s proposed Aadhaar 2.0 upgrade, and the cultural bridge connecting Lithuanian and Sanskrit.

• How do you assess the current trade relationship between India and Lithuania? Which sectors show the greatest potential for growth?

I am happy to see the positive trade dynamics between our countries. Lithuania started from a very small base-almost ground zero. But as of 2024, our bilateral trade has crossed €300 million, which is significant for us. It is still a humble number, but what’s important is the steady, stable growth, increasing annually by 20-30 per cent.

Indian exports to Lithuania were once very small, but they are now growing rapidly-by almost 40 per cent annually. Lithuanian exports to India have also grown by about 30 per cent. Among all sectors, technology holds the greatest potential. Over the last few years, we have seen a clear rise in tech-oriented trade-engineering products, machinery, devices.

Lithuania is a small but highly advanced tech economy. India is huge, fast-growing, and always expanding its digital footprint. That naturally creates complementarities. One success story is Teltonika, a leading Lithuanian IoT company. Their devices-sensors, trackers, industrial applications-are already used across India, from mining to public transport. They’ve also decided to Make in India, beginning with assembly and gradually expanding.

• Many in India are curious about Lithuania’s involvement in Aadhaar 2.0. Could you explain your country’s role?

Lithuania has a very strong reputation in biometrics, robotics, and identity technologies. Our company Neurotechnology is internationally known for expertise in identity de-duplication, which prevents duplicate or fraudulent identity records. In the case of Aadhaar 2.0, Neurotechnology has been shortlisted-along with one French and one Japanese company-for a very specific technical function: deduplication of identities, to ensure Aadhaar remains unique for every individual.

Aadhaar is fully Indian. India rightly does not hand over a nationally sensitive system to any foreign entity. But for highly specialised components, Indian project leaders source the best global solutions. That is why Neurotechnology is among the top three companies selected. This is a de-risked, multi-vendor model. No foreign company gets access to the full system-only to the segment they are contracted for. This protects sovereignty and privacy.

• If Lithuanian firms excel in de-duplication, does that expertise extend to voter rolls or other identity systems as well?

Lithuanian companies have performed voter-list de-duplication in Africa and Asia, and similar tasks in property and identity databases. These systems use high-accuracy criteria-fingerprints, retina scans, and other biometric markers. But how Aadhaar is linked to voter cards in India is not something I can comment on. Each country decides how to integrate its systems.

• Beyond Aadhaar, which other high-tech areas can Lithuania and India collaborate in?

Lithuania is known as the “country of lasers.” We specialise in femto-second and pico-second precision lasers, used in research, manufacturing, and semiconductor industries. Indian research institutions already use our lasers, and we are keen to support India’s smart manufacturing initiative. Cybersecurity — Lithuanian companies are very strong in this domain. For example, a Lithuanian firm designed the National Cybersecurity System of Bhutan, including its CERT.

These are private companies competing globally without Government backing. Fintech — After the UK left the EU, Lithuania became the #1 fintech hub in the European Union. Despite being only a 3-million-population country, it hosts over 300 global fintech operators. This is an area of significant collaboration potential with India. Biotech & Pharma — Lithuania offers high-quality labs and research facilities at competitive costs. We already work with several Indian pharmaceutical companies for testing and joint development.

• If a Lithuanian company participates in Aadhaar 2.0, would it work independently or with an Indian partner?

That depends entirely on the tender conditions. In India’s case, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the main agency commissioned by the Government of India for Aadhaar. To speed up work and ensure the best solutions are used, they may outsource very small specialised functions to foreign partners. Given Aadhaar’s national importance, India naturally would not hand over control to any non-Indian entity. But for specific tasks that do not compromise access or privacy, collaboration is possible.

• Lithuania and Sanskrit often appear in discussions. What is the linguistic connection between the two?

It surprises many people, but Lithuanian is considered the closest living sister language to Sanskrit. Linguists, not diplomats, established this connection. It is a purely scientific, linguistic link. We have published a small dictionary of 108 identical Lithuanian-Sanskrit words, and we are now preparing a much larger dictionary with scholars from both countries. As someone who studied Sanskrit at university, I can personally attest to the similarities-especially in grammar, declensions, and roots. This connection serves as a beautiful bridge between our cultures.

• What about visas? How easy is it for Indians to travel or study in Lithuania?

Lithuania is a Schengen country, so Schengen rules apply uniformly. Anyone with a valid Schengen visa can travel to Lithuania. However, applicants must ensure they actually intend to visit Lithuania. Some travel agents misuse the system, which leads to visa

rejections. A useful provision for travellers is the visa cascade rule, which grants longer-term visas to applicants with a consistent past travel history. On education, around 2,000 Indian students go to Lithuania every year, mainly in engineering and increasingly in other fields.

Our universities offer English-medium Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programmes. For long-term stays, Lithuania now offers a fully online national residence permit application, valid for two years.

• Finally, where do you see India-Lithuania ties heading in the next few years?

We started from a small base, but the direction is upward. The future lies in technology, cybersecurity, lasers, IoT, fintech, biotech, and of course in our cultural ties through Sanskrit. Our companies are small but highly advanced, and India is vast, innovative, and full of opportunity. It is a natural partnership.

“We’re proud to announce a significant milestone for Neurotechnology! In the latest Aadhaar 2.0 benchmark evaluation, Neurotechnology achieved the #1 ranking among all participating solutions, emerging as the top-performing technology. This recognition underscores our unwavering commitment to precision, innovation, and world-class biometric performance. The achievement was formally recognized today at the Aadhaar Head Office during the award ceremony.

Building on this moment, we will be hosting a technical presentation and knowledge-sharing session in Mumbai on the 13th, where we’ll highlight the capabilities, system architecture, and performance insights behind our benchmark-leading solution.This accomplishment is a testament to the dedication, expertise, and hard work of our entire team? A truly proud moment for everyone at Neurotechnology,” says Lithuania Ambassador. Lithuania Ambassador Diana Mickeviciene.