On 21 August, a large-scale chemical attack was perpetrated in the outskirts of Damascus, killing hundreds of people, including many women and children. That attack constituted a blatant violation of international law, a war crime, and a crime against humanity. We were unanimous in condemning in the strongest terms this horrific attack.

On the eve of Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs visit to Vilnius, the representative of the Lithuanian Government in the Vilnius district requested to remove bilingual street signs in the Vilnius district.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss bilateral relations, security in the Nordic and Baltic region, and international issues.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė together with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen officially inaugurated the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence. This is the first and only such center within the Alliance.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to discuss the implementation of NATO's contingency plans for the Baltic States, preparations for the NATO summit scheduled for 2014, and the advancement of EU-NATO cooperation. This is the sixth meeting between the Lithuanian President and the Secretary General of NATO, and the fourth visit by Anders Fogh Rasmussen to Lithuania.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, who is visiting Lithuania, to discuss preparations for the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius as well as other EU foreign policy and defence issues.

On 4 September in Vilnius, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius and the Ambassador of Poland to Lithuania Jarosław Czubiński met to discuss bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and Poland.

On 6-7 September, Vilnius will host an informal meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs (Gymnich), which will be chaired by Catherine Ashton, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The number of Syrian asylum seekers in the EU has more than tripled in just one year, the fastest growth rate for any group, according to the European Asylum Support Office's annual report. They numbered 24,110 in 2012 compared to 7,885 the year before. Overall the number of refugees increased by 11% in 2012, with the largest group coming from Afghanistan. The report will be presented to the civil liberties committee on 5 September. Follow the discussion live on our website.