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On 10 August, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas continues to hold meetings in Georgia in order to survey the situation and to inform the European Union partners about it.

Today Minister P.Vaitiekūnas met with Yuri Popov, the Special envoy of the Russian Federation to South Ossetia in the Mixed Control Commission and Vyacheslav Kovalenko, ambassador of the Russian Federation in Georgia.

In the meeting the representatives of Russia presented their position. One of the main conditions of Russia for the possible start of negotiations is the withdrawal of Georgian troops from South Ossetia. 

As Minister P.Vaitiekūnas has been informed today by the Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili, Georgian military forces have been completely withdrawn from South Ossetia –  Georgian troops have set back to the positions where they have been until August 6, 2008 before the start of military actions, but Russia has not stopped the war fire.  

On 9 August, Minister P.Vaitiekūnas visited the Gori region together with the Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili. After visiting this region Minister P.Vaitiekūnas said, that the destructions and the number of casualties of civilians shocked him.  Having met the governor of the region, Minister promised him that Lithuania will supply the devastated region of Gori with the first aid medical equipment, the first transfer of which will be delivered as soon as possible.  

Yesterday evening Minister P.Vaitiekūnas also had telephone conversations with his colleagues Foreign Ministers of Germany, Latvia, Poland, Finland and Sweden – Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Maris Riekstins,  Radoslaw Sikorski, Alexander Stubb and. Carl Bildt.  

Over the phone Foreign Minister P.Vaitiekūnas briefed his colleagues on his direct experience of the situation in Georgia. To the opinion of Minister P.Vaitiekūnas, we see an obvious aggression by Russia against sovereign Georgia, which should immediately be evaluated by international institutions.

“During these telephone conversations we agreed, that the aggression must be stopped. The victims of current Russian military forces’ operations are innocent Georgian citizens; civilian infrastructural objects are being destroyed. This is completely intolerable”, – said Minister P. Vaitiekūnas.

“The encouraging observations that have been heard about the rule of law and the new quality Russia’s relations with the European Union have been destroyed as well”,– noted the Head of Diplomacy of Lithuania P.Vaitiekūnas.

Minister P.Vaitiekūnas said that next week together with the colleagues of other EU countries he will be discussing concrete measures, which could assure that the criminal acts of 19th century kind would never happen again in the neighbourhood of EU. It is planned to talk about the responsibility of the EU itself, which should be taken in order to assure the security and stability in its immediate neighbourhood. It is also planned to discuss the measures to be taken in similar situations, when countries that chose to live according to the principles of the Euro-Atlantic community are being treated inappropriately. 

To the opinion of Foreign Minister P.Vaitiekūnas, this aggression must be stopped immediately, otherwise the infrastructure and the economy of Georgia can be severely damaged and the whole region will suffer from humanitarian catastrophe.

Today in Tbilisi Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs will be having meetings with A.Stubb, Finnish Foreign Minister and Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign Affairs of France. The Lithuanian Foreign Minister P.Vaitiekūnas will inform the Head of Diplomacy of Finland, currently holding the Presidency of Organization of Security and Cooperation of Europe and the Head of the Diplomacy of France, currently chairing the European Union, about the situation, which emerged in Georgia. After the visit in Georgia the Finnish and French Foreign Ministers are heading to Moscow, where they intend to present to the leadership of Russian Federation the common position of the European Union.

In Tbilisi Minister P.Vaitiekūnas also plans to meet with the joint international negotiations team consisting of EU, OSCE and US officials, who arrive in Georgia today.

In the coming days Minister P.Vaitiekūnas will take part in the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels, which will be called upon Lithuania’s request in order to discuss the issue of Russian aggression in Georgia.