Press release, 18 August 2014
In her Monday address to the annual Conference of the Speakers of the NB8 Parliaments held in Palanga, the Speaker of the Seimas, Loreta Graužinienė, presented the agenda of the annual meeting. She also stressed the necessity to properly, responsibly and jointly react to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as its scope may, amid the tensions, expand in geography, which is an apparent threat to the security of the entire region.
Heads of the Parliaments of NB8
“I have no doubt that we will focus on the topical issues, as the conflict in Ukraine has taken on a new broader political and economic dimension. The restrictions introduced by Russia on agricultural products will affect all European countries,” emphasized the Speaker. “Vladimir Putin's aggressive posture does not show any signs that there will be a rapid resolution of the conflict. Mobilisation of the Russian army at the Ukrainian border, continuous supply of weapons to terrorists and public speeches of Russian politicians leave no doubt that the relations of the EU, US and many other European countries with Russia will, for a long time, have no reason to improve.”
Graužinienė noted that rising tensions “increase the probability that there may be erroneous or ill-advised actions on one or the other side that could extend the on-going conflict in geography”. “This is an obvious threat to the security of the entire region. Therefore, we have to respond appropriately and responsibly to the situation, and most importantly, to take a unanimous position. This is what we understand. However, Russia understands it as well and seeks to divide Western countries and manipulate the EU members,” the Speaker stressed in her speech adding that “with the help of the EU, NATO and all other international organisations of various formats, we have to jointly contribute to stability in the region and stop the military threats.”
Moreover, addressing the participants of the annual meeting, the Speaker of the Seimas reminded of Georgia and Moldova, two other Eastern Partnership countries, which today need support, and underlined that “Lithuania strongly supports the choice of the Ukrainian people to follow Western values.”
Speaker og the Seimas Loreta Graužinienė and Oleksandr Turchynov, Chairperson of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Monika Kutkaitytė, Public Relations Unit, Communications Department, Office of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6666, e-mail: [email protected]
