LITHUANIA AND CANADA ARE PREPARED TO COOPERATE ON THE ISSUES OF RECONSTRUCTION IN AFGHANISTAN AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION IN THE EASTERN EUROPE
On 26 November, Undersecretary of Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Laimonas Talat-Kelpša and Director General of Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Kerry Buck discussed the upcoming NATO summit in Bucharest, the NATO enlargement, the activity of Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan and the issues related to the projects that are under implementation in the province of Ghor.
The meeting took place during the international conference “Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan: Today and Beyond” in Vilnius.
Director General of Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada K.Buck indicated that the reconstruction of Afghanistan and all the related issues are a priority of Canada’s foreign policy.
During the meeting participants discussed the possibilities for Lithuanian-Canadian bilateral cooperation to implement the development cooperation projects in the Eastern European countries, after the Official Development Assistance in Central Europe (ODACE) program will have ended.
Under the ODACE program Canada has allocated 500 thousand Canadian dollars to Lithuanian development cooperation projects until the end of 2007, i.e., 50% of the total project value.
Participants of the meeting also exchanged their opinions on the situation in Russia and Georgia. They discussed other important issues of foreign policy and lifting visa requirement for the citizens of Lithuania.
According to Undersecretary of the Ministry L.Talat-Kelpša, Lithuania expects that Canada should continue the current Visa Waiver Program.
“Lithuania is prepared to continue its cooperation with Canada in this process and to prove that it fulfils the criteria that are set out to lift Canadian visa requirement for the citizens of Lithuania,” said L.Talat-Kelpša.
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