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Ingmar Ingstad
Honorary Consul Of Lithuania in Sweden
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Honorary ConsulIn 1995 I had been asked to be the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania in Malmö and it was with great pleasure that I accepted and on the 1st of October 1996, the Lithuanian Consulate was officially opened in an office building in the centre of Malmö.
Working with Lithuania is very interesting. It is a country which is developing quickly and has excellent, high quality industries. Being an Honorary Consul for Lithuania for over 9 years, I have seen many positive changes and developments in Lithuania. Lithuania became prettier by the day, especially Vilnius. After spending some time in Vilnius you can find many new buildings, refurbished streets and ancient houses. One should also look beyond the big city to the new and exciting countryside developments.
As the Honorary Consul of Lithuania I receive many questions about the economic, the political, the cultural and and the crime situation in Lithuania. These questions are sometimes as a result of negative articles which were published in the Swedish media about Lithuanian nationals who had been accused of criminal activity in Scandinavia. These articles cause the Swedish to be afraid of Lithuanians and coming to Lithuania. I always try to explain to them that Lithuania is a safe country and that one should always experience Lithuania for themselves and view it with their own eyes. Historical sources show that Sweden had more contacts with the other Baltic States, Estonia and Latvia, but I feel that there is a growing interest in Sweden for more co-operation with Lithuania. After all, Lithuania is the biggest market amongst the three Baltic States, it has a highly developed industry, educated and professional labour force, competitive prices and high economic growth rate. I have assisted many Swedish companies with finding suitable Lithuanian enterprises and these business transactions have been profitable for both parties. Additionally, many of my contacts have begun production or export to Lithuania, and have established branch offices there. For the Swedish businesspeople who want to visit Lithuania I am able to disseminate information regarding interesting places and cultural events. During my time as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania, I have arranged several business trips to Lithuania as well as conferences in Sweden and in Lithuania. On these occasions I have constantly stressed the advantages of doing business together to businesspeople in the two countries. A main obstacle in trying to convince Swedish nationals to come to Lithuania is the high cost of air tickets. Nevertheless, anyone who travelled to Lithuania finds the country very interesting and always wants to come back.
I am the CEO and owner of the company INGSTAD & CO AB, an international freight broker. In doing so I am continuing the legacy of my grandfather. The company was established in 1873 as a forwarding agent and transport company. For the past 20 years the company has been working worldwide as a specialist in logistics and transport solutions, to limit the costs and risk for export and import companies. In 2001, I established INGSTAD & CO UAB in Vilnius and the company has grown far beyond my expectations. In 2003 I also establish the company UAB Svedijos verslo centras (Swedish business center), co-ordinating business contacts in Lithuania and Sweden. I can truly say that I am satisfied with the results of my business in Lithuania.
Part of the success with forming business relations, comes from my extensive network in different branches in Sweden. For many years I was the chairman of the Swedish International Freight Association, I am on the board of the Swedish Association of Trading Agents, I work very closely with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Malmö and as a member of Rotary, I have many different contacts. My interest in politics has given me very good relations with all political parties in Malmö and the region of Skåne.
For the readers of magazine Made in Lithuania and Lithuanians in general I’d like to wish a successful new Year for their families and their businesses.
Warmest regards,
Ingmar Ingstad
Honorary Consul Of Lithuania in Sweden
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