At the High-level Meeting of the 67th Session of the General Assembly on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels on 24 September in New York, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis stressed Lithuania’s readiness to assist other countries in their efforts to enhance the rule of law.

 “Since restoring the independence more than twenty years ago, Lithuania had to overcome serious challenges while building a modern democratic state based on the principles of the rule of law. In this effort we were not left alone, but could count on the support of the international community. Today Lithuania, like other states with recent experience in comprehensive reform making, is ready to assist other countries in their efforts to reform legal and administration systems in order to enhance the rule of law,” the Minister said.

He added that Lithuania paid particular attention to the rule of law in its bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the period of 2014-15.

When speaking about the rule of law at the international level, Ažubalis noted that in order to reinforce its international commitments, as well as international legal accountability, and to contribute to strengthening of international judicial mechanisms, Lithuania had decided to recognize the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 36 of the Court’s Statute.

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister also expressed his deep concern about recent attacks on the Western diplomatic and consular offices in some countries.

“It should be definitely stressed that such attacks are unacceptable,” Ažubalis said.

At the meeting, leaders of the UN, Heads of State and Government, Foreign Ministers and the leadership of the most important non-governmental organizations adopted a declaration, reaffirming their commitment to the rule of law and its fundamental importance for political dialogue and cooperation among all states.

The declaration also underlines the significance of the rule of law for the further development of the three main pillars upon which the United Nations is built; international peace and security, human rights, and development.