“We believe in a Ukrainian success story. The country has consistently implemented complex reforms and deepened its Western integration in the face of the ongoing Russian aggression. Despite COVID-19 constraints, we must maintain the international community’s attention to and support for reforms in Ukraine," said L.Linkevičius.
The conference was scheduled to take place in Vilnius this year. Unfortunately, it has been postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Canada organized the Third Ukrainian Reform Conference in 2019. The country has gained a lot of institutional experience and is now contributing to the organization of this event in Vilnius.
The meeting also discussed security in the region, bilateral relations and cooperation within international organizations, fruitful cooperation within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to implement NATO’s agreements for strengthening its deterrence and defense posture, and within other important formats of assistance for Ukraine’s defense and security sectors.
“Lithuania and Canada are close allies who think alike about many issues on the international agenda. We are grateful to Canada for its active involvement in ensuring security in the Baltic region. We also see many opportunities for cooperation in the fight against disinformation, as well as in the economic and human rights spheres," said L. Linkevičius.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lithuania and Canada worked together to provide the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine with the most necessary personal protective equipment. Canada leads NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroup in Latvia and is contributing up to 450 troops to it. In addition, the country sent three officers to the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) in Vilnius.
