News

On 3 June in Madrid at the foreign ministers’ meeting of NATO member states and countries invited to join NATO, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania Antanas Valionis discussed the new global security situation and the tasks awaiting the Alliance. The ministers also evaluated the Alliance’s relationship with the European Union and its partner states, unfolding partnerships with Russia and the Ukraine and discussed the ways how the new NATO members could contribute to meeting upcoming challenges, shaping the organisation’s role and developing strategic partnerships. Antanas Valionis presented the vision of Lithuania’s contribution to the strengthening of the Alliance and stressed the country’s preparedness to amplify the transatlantic link, to seek for consensus in decision making processes and to contribute to the Alliance with modern armed forces able to take part in diverse NATO missions. The Minister also informed on Lithuania’s participation in the present NATO-led missions and the decision by the Seimas (Parliament) to increase tenfold the participation of the Lithuanian military in the Iraqi operations. Antanas Valionis assured that Lithuania would continue contributing to the development of the Alliance’s partnerships by sharing experience gained in the integration to NATO processes with partner states in the Southern Caucasus, the Central, the Balkans and the Eastern Europe, as well as sharing its good neighbourhood policy experience with the Alliance’s member states.