Linkevičius attends Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping, holds bilateral meetings
On 28 September, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius attended Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping at the United Nations, which was convened on the initiative of the U.S. President Barack Obama. During the event, more than 50 member states of the UN confirmed their commitment to UN peacekeeping missions and pledged to contribute over 30,000 peacekeepers to maintain international peace and security.
According to Linkevičius, the security situation constantly changes and the peacekeeping missions must adjust to it. It is important that the UN peacekeeping missions should be ready to carry out their key task, i.e., to protect civilians, in particular women and children. In 2016, Lithuania also intends to strengthen its participation in international peacekeeping missions and to send 20 troops and/or civilian personnel to take part in the contingent operating as part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. The President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė has already submitted a respective draft resolution to the Seimas (Parliament) for consideration.
Linkevičius, who takes part in a general debate of the General Assembly of the United Nations, also met with the Foreign Ministers of Georgia, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Yemen.
In a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia George Kvirikashvili, Linkevičius called for Georgia’s focused effort for integration with European and Euro-Atlantic structures.
In a meeting with Yemen’s Foreign Minister Riyad Yassin Abdullah, Linkevičius called on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to stop fighting as soon as possible to prevent further civilian casualties, to join the UN-mediated peace talks without prior conditions and to pursue a political solution to the conflict. The Foreign Ministers also discussed Lithuania’s chairmanship of the UN Security Council’s Yemen Sanctions Committee.
In a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Education and Culture of Liechtenstein Aurelia Frick, Linkevičius expressed his support for the initiative of Liechtenstein and other member states of the UN on a Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. The Ministers discussed cooperation in the area of taxation and mutual progress on an avoidance of double taxation agreement.
In a meeting with Pasquale Valentini, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of San Marino, Linkevičius discussed cooperation in the area of taxation, as well as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in the field of tourism development and culture.
Photos: Linkevičius with the Foreign Ministers of Georgia, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Yemen at Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping
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