Formin, CoE secgen discuss Lithuania's future presidency of Committee of Ministers

VILNIUS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Friday discussed Lithuania's future presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe with the organization's Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric in New York.

Lithuania will hold the presidency from May to November 2024.

The meeting also touched upon support for Ukraine under Russian attack.

"We appreciate the Council of Europe's involvement in the process of registering the damage caused to Ukraine and in finding ways to help children abducted from Ukraine and forcibly taken to Russia. International organizations have a unique mission to stop the growing impunity of authoritarian regimes," Landsbergis said.

He also expressed his concern about the presence of Russian staff within the organization, even though Moscow is no longer a member of the Council of Europe. Landsbergis asked the secretary general to speed up the resolution of this issue.

The Council of Europe expelled Russia from Europe's main human rights organization in March 2022 over Moscow attacked Ukraine.