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On May 3 during the conference “The Role of Parliamentarians in Strengthening Eastern European Democracies: On the Road to Democratic Societies” at the Seimas, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis stressed the necessity to strengthen the democratic process in Eastern European countries and to promote values of freedom and human rights.

“Although democracy has triumphed in many countries of the Eastern European region, in a number of our eastern neighbours democracy and rule of law scarcely exist. The establishment of democracy in these countries would be beneficial for the people and the whole region. Thus, our common objective is to stand with the nations as they continue the difficult quest for freedom and to contribute to the development of the area of democracy prosperity and the protection of human rights,” the Minister said.

He reminded that in a number of Eastern European nations – Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia and Georgia – the coming months were to mark the period of elections, during which “our active support for democratic processes and consolidation will be of exceptional importance”.

As a specific example of the CoD involvement in Eastern Europe, the Minister indicated that Moldova received assistance through the newly created Democracy Partnership Challenge.

According to Ažubalis, the Community of Democracies Parliamentary Forum for Democracy, which was set up on the initiative of members of the Seimas (Parliament) during the period when Lithuania was at the helm of the Community of Democracies, proves the country’s allegiance to democratic ideals.

The Minister also emphasized Lithuania’s efforts to strengthen this international community that unites established democracies and countries building democracy. Ažubalis noted that during the Lithuanian presidency, the country was able to engage into the activities of the Community of Democracies not only democratically elected parliamentarians but also youth leaders and representatives of business, and strengthen involvement of civil society.

Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas (Parliament) Irena Degutienė, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas and President of the Parliamentary Forum Emanuelis Zingeris, Chairman of the Polish Senate Foreign Relations Committee Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz and U.S. Senator John McCain also gave speeches at the international conference.

The discussion on the prospects for democracy in Eastern European countries was attended by members of the Parliamentary Forum for Democracy, parliamentarians from other countries, representatives of the Belarusian and Russian opposition, Lithuanian and foreign diplomats, representatives of non-governmental organizations and academic institutions.

Lithuania chaired the Community of Democracies from 2009 to 2011.