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The United States of America is and will always remain a strong ally of Lithuania in the areas of security, energy and democratic development, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Audronius Ažubalis noted after the meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on 15 November. The conversation focused on energy issues. According to the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, the attention by U.S. to this area encourages the implementation of new energy projects in Lithuania and in its surrounding region.

Minister said that Lithuania supported the ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which was signed in Prague on 8 April this year, and subsequent international regulatory efforts in the area of armaments.

“We trust that the START will allow for enhanced transparency in the area of cross-border regulation of tactical nuclear weapons,” the Minister noted.

The Minister and the U.S. Secretary of State also discussed preparations for the NATO Summit in Lisbon.

Minister A.Ažubalis and Secretary of State H.Clinton expressed mutual support for NATO’s new Strategic Concept. Lithuanian Foreign Minister thanked the U.S. administration for its contribution to the preparation of NATO’s defence plans for the Baltic States.

The Minister stressed that it was important for European security to ensure the U.S. presence in Europe.

The interlocutors also discussed the forthcoming meeting of the Community of Democracies in Vilnius and Lithuania’s chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2011. According to Minister A.Ažubalis, among other issues Lithuania’s chairmanship will give priority to the topics of the freedom of media and safety of journalists.

The Minister invited the U.S. Secretary of State to pay a visit to Lithuania next year.

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Please click on this link to read the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Remarks With Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis After Their Meeting