Press Release, 19
April 2013
The Speaker of the Seimas,
Vydas Gedvilas, met with
the Ambassador of the Italian Republic, Renato Maria Ricci, who is finishing
his term in Lithuania.
During the meeting, the Ambassador expressed
appreciation over his four-year’s work in Lithuania which allowed him to
accumulate excellent experience. Mr Ricci emphasized that after more than 20
years’ long discussions the dispute over the Lithuanian Embassy building in
Rome had been eventually resolved. The Ambassador said Italy supported the upcoming
Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and Lithuania’s
candidature for non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council
and membership of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation.
The Speaker of the Seimas
thanked the Ambassador for his personal contribution to the development of the
bilateral relations and resolving the issue of Villa Lituania.
He stressed that the relations between Lithuania and Italy on the parliamentary
level had always been good. Parliamentary friendship groups had been formed
both in Lithuanian and Italian parliaments, and they are expected to cooperate
intensively in this term of the Seimas. The
Parliamentary Cooperation Protocol between the Seimas
of the Republic of Lithuania and the Chamber of
Deputies of the Republic of Italy was signed in 1999.
Mr Gedvilas noted
that Lithuania’s energy security issues were at the focus of attention; the
possibilities of shale gas exploration, construction of the nuclear power
plant being at the centre of discussion. The Government’s energy guidelines and
objectives should be presented by 15 May 2013.
The Speaker of the Seimas
invited Italian parliamentarians to take an active part in the parliamentary dimension
events to be hosted by the Seimas during the Lithuanian
Presidency of the Council of the EU and extended an invitation to Laura Boldrini, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian
Republic, to visit Lithuania.
Saulė Eglė Trembo, Public Relations Unit, tel: +370 5 239 6203, e-mail: [email protected]
