Lithuania's Foreign Minister Landsbergis calls on Belgium to support the founding of a Special Tribunal to prosecute the crime of Russia's aggression
After a meeting with the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade Hadja Lahbib, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis noted that it was necessary to continue mobilising military, economic, and humanitarian support for Ukraine, increasing pressure on Russia, and effectively seeking accountability for the Kremlin’s international crimes. Landsbergis called on Belgium to support the initiative of the three Baltic States to found a Special Tribunal to prosecute the crime of Russia's aggression.
The bilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Lithuania and Belgium focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine, EU sanctions, issues of cooperation within NATO, and the most effective ways to deal with Russia's energy blackmail. Landsbergis thanked Belgium for supporting Ukraine and participation in NATO missions in Lithuania.
“The war against Ukraine is a war against the whole of Europe. Despite Russia’s energy blackmail and disinformation campaigns, Europe must remain united for Ukraine. Ukraine’s victory is the only way to secure the future of Europe and to strengthen the rules-based global order that would simply not allow Russia to avoid accountability for international crimes of the scale that it commits in Ukraine," the chief of Lithuania's diplomacy said after a meeting with the Belgian Foreign Minister.
Lithuania and Belgium celebrate the centenary of diplomatic relations this year. Belgium was the first country to deploy its Air Force after Lithuania became a member of NATO in 2004. In 2017, Belgium joined the German-led NATO-enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battlegroup in Lithuania. In August 2022, about 150 Belgian soldiers were deployed in Lithuania for a six-month period.
This is the first official meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Lithuania and Belgium, organized during a state visit of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium to Lithuania, since Lahbib’s appointment in July.