DRAFT STRATEGY OF LITHUANIA’S ACTIVITIES IN AFGHANISTAN WAS PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEES OF THE SEIMAS
On 10 June, Undersecretary of Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė and Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė presented a draft “Strategy of the Activities of the Republic of Lithuania in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for 2009-2013” to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on National Security and Defence of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania.
The strategy will set the parameters and terms of Lithuania’s participation in and implementation of international commitments in Afghanistan. This comprehensive document will allow for an effective coordination and implementation of Lithuania’s civilian and military activities in Afghanistan.
The draft strategy answers the question why Lithuania operates in Afghanistan, demonstrates what has been done already, gives recommendations regarding further actions, names challenges and risk factors. This is a realistic project, which has been prepared taking into consideration Lithuania’s possibilities.
Conditions for further successful activities in Afghanistan are highlighted in the document: the necessity to guarantee a permanent and continued financing, to install these activities as priorities of Lithuania’s foreign, security and development cooperation policy, to steadily coordinate actions.
Pursuant to the suggestions and remarks that were made during the meeting on 10 June, it is intended to discuss once again the amended strategy at the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on National Security and Defence of the Seimas on 10 July. Later it will be submitted to the Government for consideration. After adoption of the strategy, responsible institutions will be assigned to prepare its implementation plan.
The draft strategy is prepared pursuant to the decision of the Committees of the Seimas and the Prime Minister’s assignment. The document was drawn up by a joint working group of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Finance.
NATO, the European Union, the United Nations, the World Bank, other international, regional, nongovernmental organisations and individual countries are taking an active part in the stabilisation and reconstruction of Afghanistan at the request of the country’s government.
Lithuania contributes to the efforts of the international community in Afghanistan, thus aiming to guarantee national security and security of the whole international community, to fulfil international obligations and to get established as a responsible member of the Euro-Atlantic community.
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