3 May 2012
Mrs Irena Degutienė, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Senator John McCain, Member of United States Senate Committee on Armed Services and former Republican presidential candidate, on his visit to Vilnius.
The focus of the meeting was on bilateral LithuanianUS relations, regional security, and an initiative to sign an accord among the Lithuanian parliamentary political parties on adequate defence spending.
The Seimas Speaker underscored that she had already initiated discussions among the leaders of the parliamentary political parties on guaranteeing adequate defence spending, which was the commitment of Lithuania undertaken upon its accession to NATO.
Strengthening of NATO visibility regular military exercises, training, and the air policing mission in the Baltic States is the Alliances appropriate response to military buildup of NATO non-member states in the region. Of course, Lithuania should also fulfil its commitments; and I hope that in the near future our parliamentary political parties will likewise succeed in reaching and signing an accord on adequate defence spending, the discussion thereon having been initiated by me some time ago, Mrs Degutienė said.
The US Senator hoped that the parties would successfully sign the accord and expressed his appreciation of Lithuanias contribution to the mission in Afghanistan and of military competences of Lithuanian troops.
The discussion also covered the situation in Belarus, Georgia, and Ukraine as well as the Eastern Neighbourhood and other countries of the region.
Secretariat of the Speaker of the Seimas
Juozas Ruzgys, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, Tel: +370 5 239 6023, +370 698 42073
