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Despite being a small country, Lithuania is prepared for the upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union, as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius stressed during the meeting with United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on 26 March in New York City.

According to Ban Ki-moon, the European Union is the key UN partner in a number of spheres. The Secretary General commended Lithuania for successful presidency of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as well as for active participation as regards issues of mediation and women rights protection.

The UN leader was interested in the Eastern Partnership Summit that will be held in November in Vilnius. Linkevičius stressed the importance of the dialogue on the free Europe and provided more information on the preparation for the most important event of the upcoming Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Minister, who is currently on a visit to New York City as a part of the Lithuanian electoral campaign for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, stressed that the country will continue to pay great attention to mediation and peaceful conflict resolution, to the human rights issues and women’s empowerment as well as to the strengthening of the rule of law and democratic institutions.

In response to the Ministers’ invitation to pay a visit to Lithuania this year, the UN Secretary General suggested settling a mutually suitable date.

While continuing his visit, the Minister also met ambassadors of permanent members of the UN Security Council and representatives of the regional groups in the UN: the Latin American and Caribbean Group as well as the countries of Persian Gulf and the Pacific islands. During these meetings, some relevant issues of the UN and the UN Security Council’s agenda were discussed: the peace process in the Middle East, the situation in Syria, the conflict in Mali, the challenges of climate change, and the strengthening of UN cooperation with regional organizations. The Minister also signed a communiqué on establishing diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Suriname.

Since 1996, Lithuania has been a candidate for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the period 2014–2015.