Press release, 21 March 2014
After U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Lithuania, during which the U.S. commitment to ensure the security of Lithuania was reaffirmed, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas and Žygimantas Pavilionis, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States of America, discussed the state and prospects of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Lithuania and the USA.
Members of the Committee unanimously agreed that the USA had always been and remained an important strategic ally of Lithuania contributing significantly to ensuring the security of Lithuania and an important partner in seeking energy independence of Lithuania. Accepting that the U.S. Congress plays a vital role in the U.S. decision-making, members of the Committee agreed on the need to maintain and strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation.
The meeting focused on specific possible forms and means of inter-parliamentary cooperation. The participants in the meeting repeatedly stressed the need for the Seimas to assume a more active role in strengthening relations between the Seimas and the Congress by ensuring a continuous dialogue between the two parliaments.
After the meeting, the Committee on Foreign Affairs thanked the Ambassador for his significant contribution in encouraging cross-border cooperation and maintaining Lithuania’s issue on the international agenda of the U.S. administration.
Evaldas Zelenka, Head of the Office of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, tel. +370 5 239 6798, e-mail: evaldas.zelenka@lrs.lt
