News

On 14-15 January, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania will hold a traditional informal ‘Snow Meeting’, which brings together Lithuanian and foreign experts in security policy. The meeting will prepare for the next NATO Summit to be held in Warsaw in 2016.

The meeting, which will take place in Paunguriai, the district of Trakai, will be attended by Latvian, Estonian, Slovakian and Romanian Foreign Ministers - Edgars Rinkēvičs, Marina Kaljurand, Miroslav Lajčák and Lazăr Comănescu – also by the United Kingdom’s Minister of State for Europe David Lidington, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, the NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow and the Admiral Mark Ferguson, who serves as the Commander of Allied Joint Force Command located in Naples. About 90 high-ranking NATO and EU officials, diplomats, experts in international affairs and security policy from various think tanks are expected to participate in the meeting.

The ninth annual ‘Snow Meeting’ will focus on a changed international security environment, Europe’s key security challenges, and how the Alliance responds to these challenges. A separate session will be devoted to information warfare and responses to propaganda threats.

The next NATO Summit will take place on 8-9 July 2016 in Warsaw. The participants are expected to announce about the full implementation of the NATO Readiness Action Plan and further adaptation measures aimed to strengthen the Alliance’s collective defence and deterrence. Current short-term reassurance measures must become long-term reassurance measures.

Media Alert: On 15 January at 1.00 p.m., at IDW Esperanza Resort (Paunguriai, the district of Trakai), Lithuania’s Foreign Minister will hold a press conference to sum up the outcomes of the ‘Snow Meeting’. Registration is on the Foreign Ministry’s website until noon on Thursday, January 14. If you do not register, we cannot guarantee you the access to the event.