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The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a letter to Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis, confirming her plans to attend the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vilnius, which will be the highlight of the eventful year of Lithuania’s OSCE Chairmanship.

“This has been an eventful year for the OSCE. From the invocation of the “Moscow Mechanism”, to protesting the crackdown in Belarus, to the steps taken to enhance OSCE support for democratic transitions ongoing among the Mediterranean partner states, your chairmanship has been marked by your commitment to the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE’s role to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the OSCE region and beyond,” reads the letter of H.Clinton.

According to the U.S. Secretary of State, a successful chairmanship of the OSCE has cemented Lithuania’s reputation as a champion of Euro-Atlantic values.  

The 18th session of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vilnius will be held on 6 and 7 December. It is expected to bring together foreign ministers from 56 OSCE member states, 12 North African and Asian countries that are the organization’s partners for cooperation, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and representatives from other key international and regional organizations.

In total, about 1.5 thousand guests are expected at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre LITEXPO and in other events at other locations in Vilnius.