The consultations took place a little more than two months ahead of NATO Summit in Warsaw and focused on security issues.
“Our countries are geographically far apart, but the two nations do share common interests and have a common goal to live in a safe and secure environment,” said the Lithuanian representative.
Kačinskas thanked Portugal for its continued participation in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission and the country’s other efforts to implement the decisions taken at the Wales Summit to strengthen Lithuania’s security, and expressed hope that the next step would be taken in Warsaw.
“Now is not the right time to procrastinate and make peace with the present situation. In Warsaw, we all together jointly and in solidarity have to send a clear signal that the Alliance is ready to defend its values, democracy and the international law,” said Kačinskas.
In the meeting, the representatives of the two countries stressed that it was important to adjust their positions on the EU’s framework for relations with its eastern and southern neighbours, discussed the situations in Libya, Syria and Iraq, and the countries’ efforts to fight piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The Lithuanian representative emphasised the importance of supporting Ukraine and of the EU and NATO’s unified policy toward Russia.
“In the face of today’s challenges we need to work together to strengthen the principle of European solidarity and to increase our mutual understanding of the threats facing our countries,” said Kačinskas.
During the consultations, the Political Director of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry met with the Portuguese National Defence Policy Director Nuno Pinheiro Torres, the Foreign Policy Adviser to the President Augusto Duarte and members of the Portuguese Parliament’s Defence and Security Committee.
