News

On 8 February, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Darius Skusevičius visited the United States Navy ship USS HUÉ CITY that arrived in Klaipėda on a friendly visit this week.

During the visit, Lithuania’s Foreign Vice-Minister met with the Captain of the ship Daniel Gillen and the crew. Skusevičius inspected the ship together with the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Anne Hall, the Chair of the National Security and Defence Committee of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania, the Vice Minister of National Defence and the leadership of the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Lithuanian Naval Force. The officials discussed the strategic partnership between Lithuania and the United States, as well as close cooperation when dealing with regional and global threats.

Gillen welcomed the opportunity to visit Klaipėda and noted that the main purpose of the visit was to strengthen the U.S. ties with Lithuania and other NATO allies, also to ensure peace and stability in the Baltic region.

Lithuania’s Foreign Vice-Minister thanked the Captain and the crew of the ship for their visit to Lithuania, and emphasized that such visits granted the visibility of the U.S. military presence in the region, as well as confirmed the Alliance’s commitments.

The USS HUÉ CITY (CG-66) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser that has arrived in Klaipėda directly from the U.S. and will be sailing the Baltic Sea for some time. The U.S. Navy has 22 such ships. The cruiser is named after a battle in the Vietnam War. The military ship and its 370-strong crew will not depart until 10 February.