On 15 March in Kyiv, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius held meetings with the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade Aivaras Abromavičius and discussed Ukraine's domestic political situation, the ongoing reforms in the country and security situation in eastern Ukraine.

While heads of state and governments will try to work out the details of the EU-Turkey migration deal during the European summit in Brussels on 17-18 March, parliamentary committees will also be dealing with migration issues. MEPs vote on proposals for relocation schemes for refugees and EU humanitarian visa and also asses the human rights situation in Turkey. Meanwhile the tax rulings committee discusses tax measures with representatives from multinationals.

On 10 March, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Lubomír Zaorálek, who was visiting Vilnius. In the meeting, the Foreign Ministers discussed the key issues related to security policy, NATO, items on the EU and Eastern partnership agenda, bilateral and regional cooperation.

During the meeting on 10th March of the Justice and Home Affairs Council the outcome of the European Council on EU Turkey cooperation was welcomed. It helps both to curb the migration influx and to prevent people from putting their lives in the hands of ruthless smugglers.

MEPs debated the proposed EU-Turkey deal to manage the refugee crisis as well as the way in which European countries have been handling the issue during this week's plenary session in Strasbourg. Women refugees and how to support them better was debated on Tuesday to mark International Women's Day 2016. Read our story for more on this and the other plenary issues debated and voted on by MEPs.

The annual Vilnius Russia Forum took place on 8-9 March in Trakai. The forum focused on topical issues related to Russia's domestic and foreign policy, the human rights situation in Russia, prospects for Russia's economic and political development, the relations between Russia and the West, and its future.

As part of the visit to the Seimas, the delegation of parliamentarians from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine met with Ričardas Sargūnas, Chair of the Energy Commission, on 8 March. The guests showed interest in Lithuanian energy issues, completed projects and future challenges. Among the most pressing questions raised during the meeting were gas and electricity tariffs for households and industries as well as possibilities of gas supply from the LNG Terminal of SC Klaipėdos Nafta.

On 8 March, the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Rolandas Kačinskas attended political consultations in Berlin. The meetings focused on the bilateral cooperation between Germany and Lithuania, and prospects to expand it, the next NATO Summit in Warsaw, the situation in Ukraine, the relationship with Russia, the migrant crisis and other issues on the international agenda.

At its meeting of 4 March 2016, the Committee on Foreign Affairs heard the information provided by Elvinas Jankevičius, Vice-Minister of the Interior, and Raimundas Karoblis, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, about the implementation, within the European Union and Lithuania, of priority actions set out in the European Agenda on Migration, which was adopted on May 2015.