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Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius is visiting Mariupol, where he met with Ukrainian soldiers who stood on guard near the frontline, the Governor of Donetsk Oblast Pavlo Zhebrivsky, and the Mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boychenko to discuss security situation in the city and its surroundings, ways to further develop dialogue between the region of Donbas and Europe.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister visited the Ukrainian Marine Corps stationed near the village of Shyrokyne. During the visit, separatists breached the truce and fired a grenade launcher towards contact line.

“I have personally witnessed that separatists fail to respect a ceasefire and security situation in the region is not ensured. I have also heard this from the leaders and inhabitants of the region. Unfortunately, we cannot speak about the implementation of the Minsk accords. Russia and Russian-backed separatists must stop the shelling, withdraw military units from Ukraine and return control of the border to Ukraine. This is required not only by the international community, this is understandably wished also by the inhabitants of Mariupol and the whole of eastern Ukraine, who desire to build a unified, peaceful country,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister noted that he visited troops out of respect for these servicemen and women who stood on guard near the frontline, defending their freedom and European values.

In a meeting with the Governor of Donetsk Oblast and the Mayor of Mariupol, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister stressed that he wanted to hear about concerns of the locals of Mariupol and security situation in the city and its surroundings.

“I would like to visit your town when it does not come under shellfire, but friends visit us in good times and bad times. I pay this visit to show Lithuania’s solidarity with Ukraine and its people,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.

The head of the Lithuanian diplomacy stressed that currently it was very important for Ukraine to carry out its reforms and to continue to mobilise its entire society for a stronger Ukraine.

“Lithuania supports the efforts of the OSCE and other international donors to reduce the exclusion of the Donbas region, to promote dialogue between central and local authorities, and the society, to develop relations with the EU, and promote closer ties between the inhabitants of the region and the European Union,” said Linkevičius.

Linkevičius informed his interlocutors that Lithuania and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had plans to initiate a consular mission to Mariupol.