LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, DISCUSSES THE SITUATION IN SYRIA, NATO-EU COOPERATION
On 25 September, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis and Foreign Ministers of the European Union attended the transatlantic dinner, which was hosted by the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. They discussed the deteriorating situation in Syria, and the coordination of NATO-EU defence capabilities. Ažubalis expressed grave concern over the deteriorating situation in Syria that could destabilize the entire Middle East. “The massacres being carried out by the Syrian regime are crimes against humanity, therefore, every one of those responsible should be tried by the International Criminal Court,” the Minister told heads of diplomacy of the European countries and the U.S.
He also stressed the importance of the effective NATO-EU work to coordinate defence capabilities and the necessity of rational use of resources.
“NATO’s smart defence initiative and the EU’s “pooling and sharing” initiative are complementary, so it is necessary to coordinate this work to avoid overlaps between them,” the Minister said.
Participants of the dinner were invited to support European Defence Agency’s initiatives in the field of energy security and solutions for sea protection and air transport.
The meeting also discussed other key issues of transatlantic cooperation - the situation in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Iran.
