The meeting participants discussed the challenges to international peace and stability, the threat of terrorism, the refugee crisis, breaches of international law, and the emerging hybrid and cyber threats.
While referring to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, annexation of Crimea and Russia’s military aggression against eastern Ukraine, the Speaker of the Seimas pointed out that Lithuania did not support the intention to host the IPU Assembly in St. Petersburg in autumn 2017. “The aggressive actions of Russia against Ukraine are in violation of the international law. The international community and international institutions should support the cause of freedom of Ukraine and defend its right to self-determination as the country follows its path of European integration,” the Speaker of the Seimas stressed.
With reference to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the guest was briefed on the new guidelines for the development cooperation policy of Lithuania for 2017–2019 which were in the drafting stage and Lithuania’s priorities in the area of implementation of its development cooperation and foreign policy objectives.
Both sides agreed on the importance of developing inter-parliamentary cooperation at regional level. The Speaker of the Seimas shared her impressions from the trilateral Assembly of Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine held in Kiev on 30–31 May 2016. The NB8 Parliament Speakers’ meeting due in August 2016 was also discussed.
Following the meeting with the Speaker of the Seimas, Saber Chowdhury, IPU President, delivered a speech at the sitting of the Seimas.
Lithuania is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union since 1923. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Lithuania’s renewed IPU membership.
NB8 (Nordic-Baltic Eight) refers to the cooperation on a regular basis between the eight Nordic and Baltic countries, including Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The cooperation in a number of areas at different policy levels is in place since 1992. The NB8 cooperation at the parliamentary level began in 1989. In this framework, meetings of Speakers of Parliaments are organised on an annual basis.
