News

On 23 April in Brussels, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry signed the Joint Action Plan between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on Combating Illicit Trafficking of Nuclear and Radioactive Materials and Related Technology.

This agreement provides for actions of the Lithuanian authorities aiming to enhance the country’s capabilities to prevent, detect, and respond to nuclear smuggling incidents.

The Joint Action Plan foresees an important role for the Centre of Excellence for Energy Security in Medininkai. The main goal of the Centre that was set up in 2012 is to provide in-service training for the staff of competent domestic and foreign agencies in the field of nuclear safety and security, and to foster cooperation and interaction.

Linkevičius noted that this agreement would even further strengthen the strategic partnership between Lithuania and the U.S.A.

“Last week we were all deeply shocked by the events in Boston. These dreadful attacks have reminded us once again that terrorism knows no state borders, so we all need to stay focused in order to prevent terrorist attacks,” Linkevičius said at signing ceremony.

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister also noted that at the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, the President of Lithuania had presented the country’s contribution to the vision of nuclear safety, based on the need to strengthen international cooperation.

At the meeting, Linkevičius and Kerry also discussed bilateral cooperation and security policy.