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On 19 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis met with the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani, who is paying an official visit to Vilnius. The meeting focused on important items on bilateral and international agendas, the security situation in the South Caucasus region, and Georgia's integration into the European Union and NATO.

Landsbergis voiced his support for Georgia’s aspirations to deepen its integration into the EU and NATO. “Georgia’s Government has set a very ambitious goal — to be ready to apply for EU membership by 2024. This requires a lot of homework, so we encourage Georgia to continue to implement complex reforms. For this purpose, it is important to bring all political forces together and to put the interests of the state and its people first,” said Landsbergis.

“The 19 April political agreement, reached under the auspices of European Union President Michel’s mediation, remains important for the achievement of political consensus and for the future success of the reform process in the country,” said  Landsbergis, who highlighted that Georgia’s success was not only Lithuania's concern,  but also the EU's.

Landsbergis stressed that the most serious security threat to Europe was posed by Russia’s aggressive posture and expressed Lithuania’s strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. The Foreign Minister also reassured that Lithuania would continue to actively raise the issue of the occupation of Georgia's territory on the international stage. “We highly appreciate the partnership between Georgia and NATO, as well as the country's engagement in NATO missions and operations. We strongly support Georgia's aspirations of NATO integration,” said Landsbergis.

Appointed in 2021 as Georgia's Vice Prime Minister,  Zalkaliani is paying his first bilateral visit to Lithuania. During the visit, Zalkaliani will also meet with the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and the Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilyte-Nielsen, and will honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for Lithuania's freedom at Antakalnis cemetery.