Chairpersons of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Lithuania and other Member States of the European Union circulated a joint statement on the unjustified Russian military build-up in and around Ukraine and in Belarus

On 18 February 2022, Laima Andrikienė, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas, together with the Chairpersons of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Ireland, Denmark, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Poland, France and Germany and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, circulated a joint statement on the unjustified Russian military build-up in and around Ukraine and in Belarus.

The Statement appeals to Russia and Belarus, calling for de-escalation of the situation, withdrawal of troops from the Ukrainian border and from the territory of Belarus, non-recognition of non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as independent entities, and full transparency of Union Resolve 2022, the joint military exercise of Russia and Belarus. Both countries participating in the exercise are urged to ensure compliance of their political and military commitments with the principles of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

THE STATEMENT

Office of the Committee on Foreign Affairs