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Lithuanian, Ukrainian parliamentary leaders discuss cooperation, security

Xinhua, November 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

Lithuania's new speaker of the parliament Viktoras Pranckietis met here on Monday with Ukrainian parliamentary chairman Andriy Parubiy to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Viktoras Pranckietis, who took on duties two weeks ago, noted that the meeting with the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament was arranged very quickly, soon after they exchanged their first letters.

"In less than two weeks he's here, and we've discussed very important issues for Ukraine which are tied to Lithuania's foreign policy and economy as well," Pranckietis told the local press conference after the meeting.

Both parliamentary leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine, Lithuania's support as well as prospects of inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Pranckietis highlighted that the Seimas, Lithuanian parliament, has been the most active parliament among the EU parliaments when supporting Ukraine. Since 2013, the Lithuanian parliament has adopted eight resolutions concerning Ukraine.

Both leaders have paid attention to the security situation in Eastern Europe and threats of hybrid warfare. Lithuania, a small Baltic State with a population of less than three million, has stepped up its defense capabilities and intensified cooperation with Ukraine following the conflicts in Eastern Ukraine back in 2014.

According to an announcement from the Seimas, Pranckietis emphasized that the European migrant crisis, terror threat, and Brexit shouldn't overshadow the EU's attention to its Eastern Partnership countries.

Pranckietis also highlighted the need for faster implementation of the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens.

Parubiy offered to strengthen cooperation between the countries of the Baltic-Black Sea belt.

"I'm sure that this line of cooperation has a lot of potential in matters of transit, economy and security cooperation," Parubiy told the press conference.

On Monday, Pranckietis and Parubiy also attended events to mark the 25th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. Endit