News

On 26 December, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas will pay an official visit to Ukraine. During his first bilateral visit abroad, Minister V.Ušackas will be received by President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. In Kiev, V.Ušackas is meeting with Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Volodymyr Ohryzko.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, the country which supports Ukraine’s integration into NATO, and Ukrainian officials will discuss implementation of the Annual National Program. The program that will help Ukraine to seek its membership in NATO was suggested by the North Atlantic Alliance on 3 December during the NATO ministerial meeting. Lithuanian and Ukrainian officials will also discuss possibilities that the EU Eastern Partnership initiative will open for Ukraine in its relations with the European Union.

During the visit, it is intended to discuss concrete implementation plans of the strategic partnership guidelines, signed by the Lithuanian and Ukrainian Presidents on 9 December 2008.

Foreign Ministers of Lithuania and Ukraine are also going to discuss cooperation between the countries in their efforts to achieve energy independence and the issues of development of transport infrastructures in the region.

On 27 December, Minister of Foreign Affairs V.Ušackas will pay a working visit to Georgia, where there are meetings scheduled with Georgia’s Prime Minister Grigol Mgaloblishvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs Grigol Vashadze, Chairman of Parliament David Bakradze, Georgian State Minister for European and  Euro-Atlantic Integration Giorgi Baramidze, Georgian Defence Minister Vasil Sikharulidze and other Georgian officials.

During the meetings it is intended to discuss the strengthening of bilateral relations and Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration issues, reforms that are under the implementation in the country and other important issues of international policy.

On 29 December, head of Lithuanian diplomacy will pay a working visit to Belarus, where the Minister and Belarusian officials will discuss issues of bilateral relations, energy security and economic cooperation, as well as cooperation under the EU Eastern Partnership initiative.