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On 20 February Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas met with the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Margaret Beckett. They discussed important issues of bilateral cooperation, international security, European Neighbourhood and energy policy. “The recent historic visit of the Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip to Lithuania gave new impetus for strengthening bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and the United Kingdom. We wish this to expand to new common projects”, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vaitiekūnas said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister and the UK Foreign Secretary paid special attention to the issues of current global climate change and energy security.

Mr Vaitiekūnas remarked that Lithuania supports British incentive to tackle climate change. Implementation of this incentive will take time and require  considerable effort of the whole international community.  Lithuania is ready to initiate discussion on the issues in the country and in the Baltic Sea region. However, the Minister noted that the issues of energy security and global climate change should be addressed at the same time, as they are closely interrelated.

Foreign Minister Vaitiekūnas suggested addressing the issues of energy security and global climate change at the conference on energy policy, which is to take place this autumn in Vilnius. The heads of state and government, as well as business representatives and scientists from the EU, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea regions and countries of the Central Asia are invited to take part in the conference.

Ms Beckett and Mr Vaitiekūnas also discussed steps in securing peace and stability in Afghanistan. The UK Foreign Secretary thanked Lithuania for effective leadership of Ghor Provincial Reconstruction Team and for the recent Lithuania’s political decision to send troops of Special Forces to NATO’s peacekeeping mission led by the UK in the South of Afghanistan.

According to Mr Vaitiekūnas, the joint participation of the British and Lithuanian soldiers in peacekeeping missions and  bilateral cooperation in other spheres of international and EU policy confirm that Lithuania and the UK are very close in a variety of spheres.

Mr Vaitiekūnas and the UK Minister for Europe Geoff Hoon shared opinions on the EU constitutional processes and Europe’s future. Important bilateral issues were discussed with the members of the British Parliament's All-Party Lithuania Group.

During the conversations with Mr Hoon and Ms Beckett the possibilities of implementation of joint projects in Moldova and Georgia contributing to the development of these countries’ administrative capacities and cooperation with the EU were discussed.

Minister Vaitiekūnas also met with members of Lithuanian community in London and visited the new premises of Lithuanian Embassy in the UK. The Head of Lithuanian Diplomacy told the representatives of Lithuanian community that Lithuania is ready to face new challenges, including that of migration.

“We have to understand that Lithuania cannot be limited to its territory, as more and more Lithuanians settle in the UK, Ireland, Spain and other countries”, Minister Vaitiekūnas said. He noted that Lithuanian embassies should become  centers helping to preserve Lithuanian national identity.

The Minister donated a book by Gražina Sviderskytė on a war aviator Romualdas Marcinkus to the British Library and visited a unique exposition of the collection of Lithuanian books and other valuable items kept in the Library.