News

On 21 October in Kyiv, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Mantvydas Bekešius met with the first Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Natalia Galibarenko. The officials discussed the implementation of the Minsk agreements, preparations for the local elections in Ukraine scheduled for 25 October, and prospects for bilateral relations between Lithuania and Ukraine.

“We can see that Russia fails to comply with obligations set forth in the Minsk agreements, because so far Ukraine doesn’t have control over its borders and Russia has not withdrawn its troops from the territory of Ukraine. The annexation of Crimea is also often neglected in the backdrop of global crises, however, Lithuania actively raises this issue in various international forums and is ready to continue to support Ukraine aiming to restore its territorial integrity,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Vice-Minister.

Bekešius stressed that Lithuania would continue its expert and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine also in the future and underlined that cooperation between Lithuanian and Ukrainian regions received a lot of attention.

“We urge Ukraine to keep pace with its reform agenda despite external pressure. The fight against corruption, the reform of the judiciary and the improvement of business environment - that is what the Ukrainian people expect from the government. Lithuanian experts also contribute to the implementation of these reforms,” said Bekešius at the meeting.

On 21 October, Lithuania’s Foreign Vice-Minister attended an event marking the 25th anniversary of Maironis Lithuanian Community in Kyiv. He also met with the Chairman of Ukraine’s Central Election Commission Mikhail Okhendovski to discuss preparations for the local elections to be held on 25 October.

On 22 October, Lithuania’s Foreign Vice-Minister will open Lithuania’s Honorary Consulate in Ivano-Frankivsk. Bekešius will also meet with representatives of local authorities.