News

On 7 January, Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Šarūnas Adomavičius participate in extraordinary meeting of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Brussels. Extraordinary meeting of the GAERC is organized due to devastating disaster in South East Asia. Report on the situation in regions devastated by the tidal wave, prepared by Luxembourg currently presiding over the EU and the European Commission will be presented during the meeting. Also the coordination of humanitarian aid provided by the EU, the Member States and international organisations and the needs of the affected countries, particularly in terms of health care, will be assessed. Lithuania is contributing to international community’s efforts to eliminate consequences of the calamity and help the inhabitants of the tsunami-stricken countries. On 5 January during the meeting of the Lithuanian Government it was decided to contribute 350 thousand litas to devastated regions of South East Asia. The contribution will be transferred to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Lithuanian society is also actively contributing to nations affected by the disaster. Lithuanian Red Cross informs to have collected 300 thousand litas. Vilnius Municipality is committed to donate 100 thousand litas for relief. Lithuanian Caritas during the action announced together with the Catholic Church collected about 24 thousand litas to support victims of the tsunami. The donation collection actions are continued.