Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs, at the LXX COSAC Plenary Meeting: ‘By acting together in unity, we can help Ukraine defend itself and defeat the evil of Putin’s Russia’

Press release, 28 November 2023 

On 28 November 2023, Madrid saw the second day of the LXX Plenary Meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) with the participation of Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, Chair of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs, Arminas Lydeka, Deputy Chair of the Committee, and Jonas Jarutis, Member of the Committee.

‘Together, we can certainly defeat the evil of Putin’s Russia in order to live in peace in the future and never repeat the mistakes of the past. Both the generation of my parents, formerly forced to live under the Russian terror regime, and the current generation of Lithuanians have hopes for a better future for us and our children,’ Ms Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė said, while speaking on the topic of Ukraine. She stressed that it is more important than ever that the European Union remains engaged and that it continues to provide support to Ukraine, in particular military support. ‘Ultimately, we need to engage in strategic planning to ensure that Ukraine receives the support it needs when needed and to achieve the adoption of the 12th package of sanctions as soon as possible. We hope that all EU Member States  will unanimously approve the proposal to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova,’ she said.

At the Plenary Meeting, Mr Jarutis, representative of the Lithuanian Delegation, addressed the EU’s open strategic autonomy. He stressed that, in order for open strategic autonomy to be viable and meaningful, it is important to adhere to common rules and respect for democracy, develop free trade and transatlantic cooperation, and be committed to further enlargement of the EU. ‘We need to continue our strong and effective support to Ukraine, reduce the China-related risks to our economy, and ensure Russia’s accountability,’ he said.

Photo by the Office of the Seimas

On 28 November 2023, the fourth and fifth sessions of the LXX COSAC Plenary Meeting discussed EU-Ukraine relations, the EU’s open strategic autonomy and relations with Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) brings together the European Union Affairs Committees of the national Parliaments and the European Parliament. The Conference enables the national Parliaments and the European Parliament to exchange information and good practices. The Conference may submit any contribution for the attention of the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission.

Spain is holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU from 1 July to 31 December 2023.

Aistė Pikiotienė, Adviser, Office of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs, Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, tel. +370 5 209 6864