USA OFFICIALS THANK LITHUANIA FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP OF GHOR PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION TEAM IN AFGHANISTAN
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas is visiting the USA on 8-14 February as a member of a delegation headed by President Valdas Adamkus.
On 9 February Minister Petras Vaitiekūnas met with Assistant Secretary of State of Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Ambassador Daniel Fried, and Acting Assistant Secretary of Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Ambassador Stephen D. Mull. During the meeting issues of bilateral relations and EU's Neighbourhood Policy in the East, Afghanistan, Iraq and international security were discussed.
Representatives of the USA thanked Lithuania for effective leadership of Ghor Provincial Reconstruction Team and for the recent Lithuania’s political decision to send troops of Special Forces to NATO’s peacekeeping mission in the South of Afghanistan. The officials emphasized that the US-led force had highly estimated the Lithuanian troops for demonstrating high level of military competence.
During the meeting of Lithuanian honorary consuls in the USA on 9 February, Minister of Foreign Affairs P.Vaitiekūnas presented the priorities of foreign policy and its future plans. The Head of Lithuanian Diplomacy described how in his opinion honorary consuls can make a substantial contribution to safety, transparency and welfare in Lithuania.
The honorary consuls took an active part in the discussion about the abolishing of double citizenship of Lithuania, about preserving and protecting Lithuania’s heritage in the USA, about sending Lithuanian troops to international operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was also discussed how honorary consuls could better contribute to Lithuania, its economic growth and wellbeing.
On 10 February P.Vaitiekūnas visited Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs visited the exhibition of the museum, donated to the museum books that were published in Lithuania and that discuss the tragic fate of the Jewish Community in Lithuania during the war and signed the guest book.
On 12 February Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs P.Vaitiekūnas as a member of the delegation headed by the President of the Republic of Lithuania V.Adamkus is participating in the meeting with the President of the USA George W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, members of the USA Administration, members of the US House of Representatives and the Senate.
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