The president will receive the doctoral degree in the area of social sciences for the spread of humanist values, activity in the area of human rights and the preservation of his country’s heritage.
“One cannot but admire the president’s ability to coordinate many different activities; share his apt insights into the most topical historic, political and cultural issues; encourage the nation to preserve its identity and language; always take the European heritage as a basis and make use of its long-standing experience, and have a critical view of future visions and development possibilities,” VMU rector Juozas Augutis was quoted in the university’s statement.
The Irish president will later on attend the signing of several agreements between Irish and Lithuanian education institutions.
Higgins is an active human rights lawyer. He received the Sean MacBride Peace Prize in 1992.