IN VILNIUS, LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
On 17 November in Vilnius, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and stressed that Lithuania’s UN membership as well as its close cooperation with the organisation was not less important now than over twenty years ago.
According to L.Linkevičius, Lithuania and the UN enter a new stage of cooperation on 1 January 2014, because Lithuania will work at the UN Security Council for two years.
The meeting discussed matters of concern to both sides: the post-2015 Development Agenda, sharing Lithuania’s experiences of transition, links between climate change and security, sustainable energy, women’s rights and empowerment, humanitarian aid, and the country’s participation in peacekeeping missions. The two officials also reviewed important developments in the world: situations in Syria and Iran, and the Middle East peace process. Both sides expressed concern about the catastrophe in the Philippines.
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister thanked the head of the UN for new initiatives and efforts to implement his mandate as well as to resolve international conflicts.
It was the first-ever visit of the UN Secretary General to Lithuania.
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