News

On 15 May Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry’s State Secretary Evaldas Ignatavičius received the UK House of Commons Defence Committee’s delegation headed by Committee’s Chairman Bruce George. UK parliamentarians were interested in the issues of Lithuania’s preparation for NATO membership and implementation of the Membership Action Plan. The representatives of the House of Commons also showed interest in Lithuania’s position towards NATO–Russian relations and the effects of the forthcoming enlargement for the future of the Alliance. Evaldas Ignatavičius underscored that Lithuania’s contribution to the enlarging Alliance will be its good neighbourhood policy. Lithuania is ready to further the NATO-Russian dialogue by its participation in the Alliance’s activities. The officials stressed the importance of transatlantic solidarity in the fight against the new threats and exchanged opinions on the NATO meeting of foreign ministers in Reykjavik. UK parliamentarians underscored the importance of the enlargement ratification in the parliaments of the NATO member-states and indicated that the candidate states should already start planning human resources and continue administrative preparation for NATO membership.