News

On 23 September, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigitas Mitkus met with a delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Icelandic Parliament, which was visiting Lithuania, to discuss bilateral and regional cooperation between Lithuania and Iceland, the security situation in the Nordic-Baltic region, support for Ukraine, and other relevant foreign policy issues.

The participants of the meeting expressed appreciation for the excellent bilateral relations between Lithuania and Iceland, the strong cooperation in the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) group, NATO, and other international organizations.

"The Nordic-Baltic region is facing increasing geopolitical challenges. We are therefore ready to strengthen cooperation in the areas of defence, security, and foreign policy. We particularly appreciate the joint effort of the Nordic and Baltic countries to strengthen the security of the Baltic Sea region by countering the shadow fleet activity and hybrid threats posed by Russia and strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure," said the Vice-Minister.

Lithuania and Iceland firmly and consistently support Ukraine through military, political, humanitarian, and financial assistance. "The leadership of Lithuania and Iceland in the Demining Capability Coalition for Ukraine is an excellent example of cooperation between our countries. We also see more opportunities for cooperation between our countries, especially in the area of reconstruction of Ukraine," Mitkus said.

Pawel Bartoszek, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Icelandic Parliament, noted that the large Lithuanian community living in Iceland is an important part of Icelandic society, contributing to the strengthening of cultural, business, scientific, and people-to-people contacts between the two countries. About 4,600 Lithuanian citizens live in Iceland, making them the second largest ethnic minority in Iceland.