News

On 28 January, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Mantas Adomėnas held a virtual meeting with the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Vakhtang Makharoblishvili and discussed Georgia’s efforts to join the European Union and NATO, the political situation in Georgia and the South Caucasus region, the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other issues.

Adomėnas congratulated his Georgian counterpart on the country’s significant victory. On 21 January, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg concluded that Russia had committed human rights violations in Georgia's occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Lithuania's Foreign Vice-Minister believes that the ruling is of particular importance for Georgia, because the authoritative international court has confirmed that Russia occupied territories of Georgia.

“Lithuania consistently supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Russian Federation must take all the necessary steps to ensure the implementation of this significant judgement,” said the Foreign Vice-Minister.

Adomėnas voiced Lithuania’s strong support for Georgia’s aspirations of its integration into the Western sphere, broadly supported by the general public. Lithuania's Foreign Vice-Minister called for further reforms needed for integration. According to the Foreign Vice-Minister, Lithuania is concerned over the political crisis in Georgia, when the opposition boycotted the new Parliament last autumn, claiming that the vote was rigged. Adomėnas also highlighted the important role of constructive dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition in overcoming the crisis. 

The Foreign Vice-Minister and Georgia's First Deputy Minister agreed to continue cooperation between the diplomatic services of the two countries, and to coordinate activities in the run-up to the next Eastern Partnership summit scheduled for 2021.