Speaker of the Seimas, Saulius Skvernelis, met with the delegation of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Türkiye

Press release, 19 June 2025 (News ● Photos ● Broadcasts and videos)

Saulius Skvernelis, Speaker of the Seimas, met with the delegation of the Türkiye-Lithuania Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye during their visit to Lithuania.

This year marks the 95th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Lithuania. Over nearly a century, the partnership between the two countries has grown steadily, supported by active cooperation between their municipalities and businesses. However, it has been more than a decade since the previous meeting of the Turkish and Lithuanian inter-parliamentary friendship groups in Lithuania took place back in 2013.

Upon welcoming the Turkish delegation this time, Mr Skvernelis emphasised that maintaining consistent bilateral ties was necessary to further strengthen the friendship and cooperation at both regional and international levels.

‘It is pleasing to see the intensifying inter-parliamentary cooperation between our countries and we stand ready to further develop a bilateral political, economic, and security dialogue. We have observed a growing interest from Turkish businesses in cooperating with Lithuania in a range of areas including the defence industry, which has clear potential. The increased contacts with Türkiye in the fields of trade and economy are particularly appreciated. We are equally keen to develop cooperation in IT, life sciences, and startups,’ said the Speaker of the Seimas. 

The topic of security was also high on the agenda of the meeting. The Speaker of the Seimas invited Türkiye to contribute to the implementation of the Rotational Air Defence Model in Lithuania and highlighted the importance transatlantic unity, readiness for collective defence, and continued support to Ukraine.

Ramunė Muzikevičiūtė-Narmontienė, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas for Communication, tel. +370 611 08125; e-mail: [email protected]