Baltic foreign affairs committees to meet in Lithuania

TALLINN - The foreign affairs committees of the parliaments of the Baltic states are to meet this week in Birštonas, Lithuania, to discuss further cooperation in supporting Ukraine and enhancing security in Europe.

The meeting will be opened by Remigijus Motuzas, chair of the committee on foreign affairs of the Seimas of Lithuania. After that, geopolitical challenges will be discussed with the participation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys. The second part of the working meeting will be dedicated to discussing strengthening security and defense, and the situation of defense industry in the European Union. Simonas Šatūnas, head of the Cabinet of European Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, will be the keynote speaker at this discussion.

Chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Estonian parliament Marko Mihkelson said that the meeting of the foreign affairs committees of the three countries is an annual tradition to coordinate positions and plan further activities. According to him, the relations between the committees are characterized by intensive and close cooperation towards common goals, the most important of which are the victory of Ukraine in the war of aggression launched by Russia, and the strengthening of deterrence and defense capabilities in Europe.

At the end of the meeting, the delegations of the foreign affairs committees will visit Grand Duchess Birutė Uhlan Battalion of the Mechanized Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf together with Minister of National Defense of Lithuania Dovilė Šakalienė.

The Estonian delegation to the meeting of the foreign affairs committees of the Baltic states consists of Mihkelson and members of the committee Henn Põlluaas and Juku-Kalle Raid.