News

On 15 January in Vilnius, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius met with former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and political scientist Andrey Piontkovski. They discussed Russian politics and change in European security situation, Russia’s relations with the West.

M.Kasyanov and A.Piontkovski came to Vilnius to participate in the Vilnius Intellectuals Forum on 15 January. Last year, the forum was held for the first time. It aims to develop a dialogue with representatives of the Russian civil society. The event will be attended by about 70 participants.

The 8th Snow Meeting also begins on 15 January in Trakai. It will be attended by Urban Ahlin, the Speaker of the Swedish Riksdag, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Foreign Minister of Latvia, Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, Foreign Minister of Estonia, and Miroslav Lajčák, Foreign Minister of Slovakia, representatives of the US Department of State and the administration of the President, NATO Deputy Secretary General, officials of the EU and NATO member states, and international security experts.

Before the events, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs is also meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow in Vilnius.

On the eve of the Snow Meeting and the Vilnius Intellectuals Forum on 14 January, L.Linkevičius also met with Polish defender of human rights, journalist Adam Michnik, who was awarded the 2014 Freedom Prize Adam Michnik at the Seimas (Parliament) on 13 January.

On 16 January, the participants of the Snow Meeting and the Vilnius Intellectuals Forum will continue their discussions at a joint event in Vilnius, where Mikhail Khodorkovsky will deliver a Keynote Address.

The participants of the meetings in Vilnius and Trakai will debate how to protect Western society and values from Russia’s aggressive efforts to redraw the map of Europe, how to set up the relationship between the West and Russia, how to help Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and other countries to overcome Russia’s pressure and to continue pursuing Euro-Atlantic integration.

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