During the European Union Foreign Affairs Council's meeting in Brussels on Monday, a decision was made on the inclusion of additional Russian and Ukrainian citizens in the list of EU sanctions, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (Unity) wrote in his "Twitter" profile last night.

Ukraine has asked Lithuania to provide practical expertise solving concrete euro-integration issues in railway, sea transport and mail sectors.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė, currently attending the international Munich Security Conference, met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. During their bilateral meeting, the Presidents discussed the situation in Ukraine and EU support for this country.

On Saturday, February 7, President Dalia Grybauskaitė is travelling to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference. The President has been invited to this international conference as a keynote speaker at the presidential debate on European security and situation in Ukraine.

Lithuania is getting ready to export beef to Japan. While it is undergoing necessary authorisation procedures, Lithuanian exporters will participate in the international exhibition of food and drinks Foodex Japan 2015. The 40th exhibition takes place in Tokyo on 3-6 March.

Some 1.7 million Europeans still die because of cancer every year, making it the second most common cause of death in Europe. As up to 40% of cases can be prevented, World Cancer Day on 4 February is a great occasion to remind people of how thousands of lives can be saved, namely with proper prevention, early detection, access to proper treatment and care.

Negotiations between the EU and the US on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could lead to the world's largest free-trade area. Although this could help to boost economic growth and create jobs on both sides of the Atlantic, there are concerns about the consequences the deal could have. This is why the European Parliament is following the talks very closely to ensure the agreement's benefits do not come at an unacceptable cost.

Lithuania will join the Council of Europe's aid to Ukraine. Lithuania's Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, Vytautas Leskevicius, has signed an agreement with the council on Lithuania's voluntary contribution to partially fund the Action Plan for Ukraine.

On Monday, 2nd February, the Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius is leaving on an official visit to the Sultanate of Oman to meet with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Minister Council of the Sultanate of Oman, Sayyd Fahad Mahmoud Al-Said, as well as with the Sultanate's Ministers of Health, Foreign Affairs, Transport and Communications, and the Chairman of the Upper House of Parliament, Yahya Mahmoudh Al-Mantrhri. During the visit, documents on bilateral cooperation will be signed and bilateral business meetings will take place.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of pharmaceutical legislation in the EU. On 26 January 1965 the Council Directive 65/65 on the approximation of the law relating to medicinal products was adopted. That was the first piece of EU pharmaceutical legislation introducing some founding principles that are valid until today.