President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended congratulations, both personally and on behalf of the Lithuanian people, to U.S. President Barack Obama on Independence Day.

On 1 July, President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended congratulations, both personally and on behalf of the Lithuanian people, to Canada’s Governor General David Johnston on the occasion of national holiday, Canada Day.

In times of multiple crises, we tend to focus on the most recent one. But particularly in times like these, we cannot lose sight of the conflict in Israel and Palestine. We need to shake life back into the peace process, and do it as a matter of urgency. Violence is on the rise every single day, with victims of both sides. We risk a new escalation, and the very chance of peace is slipping away. We cannot afford it.

Today, the Association Agreement (AA) between the European Union and Georgia fully enters into force.

Slovakia takes over the helm of the Council of the EU from the Netherlands on 1 July. Over the next six months the country wants to strengthen the EU's economy, modernise and deepen the common market in the areas of energy and digital economy and work on a sustainable migration and asylum policy. In addition it will have to deal with the new situation in the wake of the UK referendum. Read what Slovak MEPs from Parliament’s three main political groups expect from the presidency.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania strongly condemns a terror attack on the Atatürk international airport in Istanbul. The bombing on 28 June left 36 dead and more than 140 injured in the second terrorist attack in Turkey’s largest city this month.

Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of European Commission met today with representatives of the High Negotiations Committee's Women Consultative Committee to exchange views on developments in Syria and the political process. During the meeting, HRVP Mogherini expressed her full support for the UN-brokered talks in Geneva and the work of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), including its general coordinator Riad Hijab, as the opposition delegation at the talks. She encouraged the opposition to step up their coordination and preparations for negotiating a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict.

The UK referendum and its consequences are discussed during an extradition plenary session in Brussels on Tuesday 27 June. In addition the financial repercussions of the refugee and migrant crisis are discussed at a joint committee meeting, while political groups are also preparing for next week's full plenary session in Strasbourg.

On June 23 amendment to the resolution of the Seimas was submitted to the Seimas by the Ministry of National Defence regarding deployment of Lithuanian military units to international operations personnel: namely, to additionally deploy up to 30 military instructors to U.S.-led coalition operation Inherent Resolve, and up to 20 troops – to the EU Operation Sophia in the Southern Central Mediterranean.

“It is time for our people to live in freedom, without walls and checkpoints”, urged President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas in his address to MEPs on Thursday. He conveyed his people’s gratitude to the European Parliament for recognising a State of Palestine and criticised Israel for pursuing its occupation of Palestinian territories.