News

On 24 September, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Stef Blok. The meeting focused on bilateral relations, the situation in Belarus and Ukraine,  the relationship with Russia, the security situation in the region, and topical items on the EU’s agenda.

“We appreciate the participation of the Dutch soldiers in the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion and in Air Policing missions,” said Linkevičius, thanking his counterpart for the Dutch contribution to ensuring the security of Lithuania and of the whole region.

When speaking about the situation in Belarus, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister noted that it was very important to support the legitimate demands of the Belarusian people for a free and fair election. We must take decisions on stepping up targeted sanctions on the Belarusian regime at the EU level.

During his visit to Lithuania, the Dutch Foreign Minister also attended the diplomatic conference “Beyond Duty – Visas for Life”. The event marking the Year of Chiune Sugihara took place in Kaunas. Blok also met with the leader of the Belarusian opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and visited the Dutch soldiers serving in the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion, as well as the NATO Force Integration Unit.