16 September 2010
On 15 September 2010, during her official visit in Washington Mrs Irena Degutienė, Speaker of the Seimas, attended
a meeting to discuss the future of the Community of Democracies Parliamentary
Forum and the establishment of the Forum Secretariat.
The meeting participants supported the proposal to
establish the Secretariat in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.
All representatives of
the United States bodies and foundations involved in providing support to the
democratic process, enhancement of democratic institutions, and spread of
democratic values in Central and Eastern Europe who participated in the meeting
supported the proposal. Both the bodies and foundations supporting the ruling
Democratic Party and the oppositional Republican Party attended the meeting. The institutions and foundations are to
fund the establishment and activities of the Secretariat of the Community of
Democracies Parliamentary Forum.
It is expected that the
Secretariat of the Parliamentary Forum in Vilnius will contribute to the
strengthening of activities of the Community of Democracies in promoting and
supporting democracy and will provide multidimensional support to the President
of the Forum and member countries. Hopefully, Vilnius will eventually
become the hub for interparliamentary relations, cooperation, and coordination
under the aegis of the Community of Democracies.
Secretariat of the
Speaker of the Seimas
