News

On 18 October in Rome, Political Director of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eitvydas Bajarūnas is attending the International Contact Group Conference on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The forum focuses on the issues that are important for these two countries.

More than 40 high-ranking representatives from NATO, the European Union, member states and partners of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, including India, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea and others, are discussing the progress of the preparation for the upcoming NATO Summit in Lisbon in November 2010, are reviewing the steps that the Government of Afghanistan has taken in implementing the decisions made at the Kabul Conference, are exchanging opinions on better coordination of support to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The EU Special Representative in Afghanistan Vygaudas Ušackas, the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan Zalmai Rassoul, U.S. Specia Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, Commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus and other senior officials are also attending the event.

At the Kabul Conference on 20 July, the Government of Afghanistan announced the commitment that Afghanistan’s National Security Forces would have gradually taken over the responsibility for security of the country by the end of 2014.