News

On 14 February, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Darius Skusevičius participated in the international conference ‘Mediation: Possibilities and Limits – Recent Experiences in the Pursuit of Peace’ at the invitation of the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Didier Reynders.

This conference aimed at providing more insight into the challenges of contemporary conflicts, to discuss the possibility of mediation in case of hybrid war, violent extremism or international terrorism, with particular emphasis on resolving conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and Colombia.

As regards Ukraine, Skusevičius noted that “when addressing the issue related to Russian aggression against Ukraine, the countries have to make use of all the available mediation instruments, including the Normandy Four, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group. Lithuania’s Foreign Vice-Minister also stressed that “until full implementation of the Minsk agreements, the international community must maintain pressure on Russia, including sanctions.”

The conference was attended by the King of Belgium, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine Martin Sajdik, the Foreign Ministers of Slovakia, Angola and Algeria, high-ranking officials of other countries and international organizations.

Lithuania was invited to attend the international conference, as a member of the UN Group of Friends of Mediation. The group currently consists of 44 member states, the United Nations and 7 regional organizations and other international organizations. The group aims to promote and advance the use of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution.