News

On 13-15 November, during his visit to Washington, D.C., Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Evaldas Ignatavičius met with the U.S. administration officials and noted that Lithuania is willing to continue to strengthen transatlantic relations with its strategic partner, the United States.

“Over the past few years, Lithuania has extended its cooperation with the U.S. in the field of energy security, developing democracy and reforms in the Eastern Europe and around the world. The countries have significantly lifted the intensity of their economic relations. We are grateful to our colleagues in the U.S. administration for their support for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Nuclear Security in Medininkai, and for the fact that Energy Security Centre established in Vilnius was officially certified as NATO’s Centre of Excellence”, E. Ignatavičius stressed during the meetings.

During the visit, E. Ignatavičius met with Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, special assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and senior director for European Affairs on the National Security Staff, Julianne Smith, Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States Julianne Smith, Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, other U.S. State Department officials in charge U.S. relations with the European Union, Eastern European countries and NATO. E. Ignatavičius also met with representatives of the United States Agency for International Development and leaders of non-governmental organizations working in the field of the support of democracy in the world.

Lithuanian diplomat and the U.S. officials also discussed about the forthcoming Lithuanian presidency of the Council of European Union and the Eastern Partnership Summit that will be held in November 2013 in Vilnius.