Lithuania’s Economy and Innovation Minister on Thursday emphasized the growing importance of global partnerships in artificial intelligence, while attending the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
He described AI as a “horizontal breakthrough technology” — one that cuts across sectors and industries — and said its full potential can only be realized through cooperation among nations, including India and Lithuania.
Speaking to ANI, Edvinas Griksas said New Delhi is “the heart of AI” now, pointing to the presence of leaders and experts from across the European Union and other parts of the world.
“Actually, today, New Delhi, India, is the heart of AI. We can see leaders from all the countries, from the European Union, globally. So actually, yes, good thoughts, good practices, you know, sharing about expertise in AI. Other countries are sharing what they are doing in their countries, you know, so excellent event. I’m very happy to be part of it,” he said.
Lithuania’s efforts to bolster AI innovation
Speaking about Lithuania’s initiatives in the AI space, Griksas noted that the country is actively strengthening its domestic AI ecosystem. He highlighted the ongoing efforts to build an AI factory, alongside the launch of an AI sandbox, a regulatory AI sandbox.
Griksas added that Lithuania is also in the process of preparing its national AI strategy to provide long-term direction for the sector.
On potential collaboration between India and Lithuania in the digital space, the minister underlined that AI has applications across sectors. “AI has its own specialty because it’s a very horizontal breakthrough technology. It’s important for biotechnology, for the public sector, for the private sector, for manufacturing, you know, so points for cooperation are more than, you know, I can count,” he said while speaking to the media.
Speaking on how the two countries could aid in each other’s growth, he said, “We have some niche technologies in Lithuania, India is very powerful in the field of AI, so we can always complement each other. AI is about cooperation between countries, so that’s where we should move.”
India-EU FTA
When asked about the proposed free trade agreement and its impact on bilateral ties of the two nations, Griksas said such frameworks would strengthen collaboration beyond traditional sectors.
“It helps, it helps a lot, you know, because it’s not only about some kind of priorities, some kind of manufactures, but it’s about cooperation in general. So yeah, we are positive about this, and it will help us to work in the AI field also, I guess,” he was quoted as saying by news agency. ANI.
He made the remarks on Thursday, 19 February, which marked Day 4 of the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi.
More than 700 sessions are planned across the summit’s duration, spanning themes such as AI safety, governance, ethics, data protection, sovereign AI capabilities and the future of work.
