News

On 17 May, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Ambassador of the United States to Lithuania Anne Hall. The meeting discussed important issues of bilateral Lithuania-U.S. relations, regional and international security and defence policy, the upcoming bilateral meetings and visits, and preparations for the NATO summit in Brussels.

The U.S. Ambassador highlighted the U.S. focus on counter-terrorism, informed  Linkevičius about the invitation for the North Atlantic Alliance to join the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS, and thanked him for attending the meeting of ministers of the Global Coalition in the U.S., as well as for Lithuania’s contribution to the fight against terrorism. The Lithuanian Foreign Minister noted that Lithuania was ready to continue to work closely with the Coalition’s partners to fight against terrorism and reiterated Lithuania’s commitment to double its contribution to the joint effort to defeat ISIS.

The interlocutors also discussed the upcoming visits of the U.S. Congressmen and joint U.S.-Lithuania projects. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister informed the Ambassador that the AM radio transmitter Nautel NX-200 had begun to operate on 21 April at Viešintos RTV station in Anykščiai region. The transmitter had previously been at the disposal of the U.S. Department of Defence. Now it broadcasts programs of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to listeners in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

Ambassador Anne Hall expressed her appreciation for Lithuania’s active position of condemnation of the persecution of the LGBT community by Chechnya’s regime and its calls for an investigation.

At the meeting, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister welcomed an intensive Lithuania-U.S. agenda for bilateral relations, numerous visits and events, and expressed hope that the mutually beneficial ooperation would be further strengthened.

The U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Anne Hall is the fourteenth Ambassador of the United States to Lithuania since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 28 July 1922. Hall has worked in Lithuania before. She served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Lithuania from 2010 to 2013. Later, Hall served as Chargé d' Affaires.