On 26 October in Santo Domingo, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Mantvydas Bekešius met with the newly appointed Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Haiti Frederic Carrenard and handed him a consular patent and exequatur signed by Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.

The Iraqi operation to liberate Mosul from jihadi group ISIS/Daesh was backed by MEPs on Thursday. They called on Iraqi authorities to make every effort to protect civilians, hospitals and schools, as they progress towards Mosul. Daesh atrocities and genocide against Christians, Yazidis and other minorities should be referred to International Criminal Court, added MEPs.

On 25 October in The Hague, the Netherlands, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius visited the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament, where he met with members of the European Affairs and Foreign Affairs Committees to discuss the possibility of continuing the ratification process of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister also met individually with representatives of parliamentary factions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania allocated EUR 20,000 in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, EUR 20,000 to Palestine refugees in the Middle East, and EUR 10,000 to support victims of a hurricane in Haiti.

The 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, in which the EU played a vital role, marked an important milestone in resetting the country’s relations with the West. This afternoon MEPs debate a resolution on the EU’s strategy towards Iran. The report advocates expanding EU-Iran trade, calls for EU efforts to ease tensions between Tehran and Riyadh and urges the country to suspend use of the death penalty. More in our interview with UK S&D member Richard Howitt, author of the report.

A first gas interconnector between Finland and Estonia will end the long lasting gas isolation of Finland and help, boosting security of supply and bringing an economic lift to the region.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė continues her working visit in Brussels where she is attending the European Council meeting. On the second day of the summit, the EU leaders are holding a discussion on economic issues and trade with global partners.

EU countries are considering signing the free trade agreement with Canada this month, but the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is far from the only deal the EU is working on. Various deals are being negotiated all over the globe, but they can only enter into force if the European Parliament approves them. Read on for an overview of negotiations in progress and a discussion of how it works.

On 17 October, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Neris Germanas welcomed diplomats, representatives of the Japanese Parliament and Government, members of the scientific and academic communities, entrepreneurs, cultural and public figures, who have significantly contributed to the successful development of our bilateral relations and assembled to participate in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Japan at the Embassy of Lithuania in Tokyo.

On 17 October, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius took part in the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, which focused on the EU global strategy on foreign and security policy, Syria, migration and Tunisia. Prior to the meeting, representatives of the EU member states also met with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.