L.Linkevičius meets with U.S. security experts, calls for joint effort to find ways to offset propaganda
When Russia strengthened its information-related activities, it became evident that our reactions are belated, and unfortunately, we are losing this fight, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius said at the meetings with the U.S. security experts in Washington, D.C., on 7 October. Minister called for joint efforts to find ways to offset the propaganda, on which Russia had recently focused much attention and finances.
Minister Linkevičius, who is visiting the United States as part of the delegation led by the Lithuanian Prime Minister, met with security experts working in Washington, D.C. Minister took part in the discussion on security issues and NATO at the Johns Hopkins University, and at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He also discussed security challenges and possible solutions to them with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who chairs the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and Zbigniew Brzezinski, former U.S. National Security Advisor, one of the heads of the CSIS.
The Minister also noted the dangers of a too prompt and unconditional resumption of a dialogue with Moscow.
“There have been calls for reseting relations with Russia. The reset process should not begin with a deletion of records of violations and with an old “operating system”. Lessons of the Georgian war of 2008, when the dialogue was resumed too quickly and before Russia fulfilled its obligations, must be learned,” said L.Linkevičius.
The Minister also presented Lithuania’s efforts to strengthen its own and regional security through the implementation of decisions taken at the NATO Summit, and to ensure our energy independence through the opening of the liquefied natural gas terminal at the end of October. All the experts emphasized Lithuania’s important role in strengthening democracy in Eastern Europe and in enhancing the Euro-Atlantic security.
L.Linkevičius also gave interviews to the largest US radio station NPR and to popular online portals The Daily Beast and BuzzFeed.
Photos: Ludo Segers.
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