On this occasion, the Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted a statement highlighting that Lithuania’s active and responsible membership of global and regional international organisations, which rested on respect for democracy and human rights, was an integral part of Lithuania’s successful foreign policy. The Committee welcomed the 25-year-long consistent and concerted efforts towards consolidation in international organisations and other multilateral fora and noted that, in the face of new threats emerging in the region, it was essential to continue pooling Lithuanian diplomatic efforts to stay an active member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union in order to ensure strong collective defence and effective deterrence in Lithuania and the region and to significantly contribute to preservation of unity and internal solidarity of the EU. The Committee also invited to make every political and diplomatic effort to ensure, as soon as possible, a successful outcome of the negotiations launched on Lithuania’s accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development uniting many of the most advanced countries in the world.
The Committee stressed that the Nordic–Baltic cooperation and the cooperation among the three Baltic States at different formats and levels were very good examples of successful regional cooperation, the continuity of which should definitely remain among the top priorities of the Lithuanian foreign policy and diplomatic activities.
In the statement, the Committee also underlined that active membership of international organisations was one of the key long-term priorities of international cooperation for the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and noted that the Seimas made an important contribution to the parliamentary dimension of international organisations and other inter-parliamentary fora. The Committee also drew the attention of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to the fact that timely fulfilment of financial commitments to international organisations and professional representation of Lithuania’s interests should be adequately financed and contribute to the overall image of Lithuania as a credible international partner.