News

On 31 August, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius had a telephone conversation with the Congressman Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss situation in Belarus, Ukraine, as well as relations with Russia.

The Foreign Minister Linkevičius underlined that recent events in Belarus were important for the whole of Europe and the global democratic community. Thus, a united and effective response of the European Union and the transatlantic community is essential.

“It is important to help Lithuania’s neighbor emerge from this political crisis, to support civil society, and to protect peaceful protestors who demand change after the election fraud, providing them safety from the Minsk regime’s brutal repression,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.

Linkevičius and Engel agreed that effective support for Eastern neighbors that seek security and prosperity could be efficient if the EU and its transatlantic partners worked together. The interlocutors also agreed to continue coordinating their actions to this end.

Linkevičius and the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee also discussed the future deployment of the U.S. troops to Lithuania, the prohibition against entry to the territory of Lithuania for Hezbollah-linked individuals, and other topical foreign and security policy issues. Engel promised to continue to consistently focus on security issues in the Baltic region.