Lithuanian, Latvian foreign ministers discuss regional security, present Balts' Award

VILNIUS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis met with his Latvian counterpart, Edgards Rinkevics, in Riga on Thursday to discuss regional security, assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.

"We must consolidate international support for Ukraine, against which Russia has been waging an unprovoked, unjustified war, challenging and threatening the entire rule-based world order," Landsbergis said in a press release after the meeting. 

The two ministers discussed "the need for a complete expulsion of the Russian occupation forces in order to avoid a nuclear catastrophe in Europe", according to him. 

The two neighboring countries' top diplomats also presented the 2022 Balts' Award to Latvian translator Dace Meiere, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in the press release.   

Meiere has translated into the Latvian language books by contemporary Lithuanian authors such as Sigitas Parulskis, Undine Radzeviciute, Tomas Dirgela and Kristina Sabaliauskaite. 

The 2021 award went to Regina Kvasyte, a Lithuanian scientist and doctor of philology and humanities.