During the meeting in the former Camaldolese monastery in Pažaislis (a part of Kaunas), the head of Polish diplomacy emphasised that close military cooperation is of vital importance in the face of Russia’s aggressive attitude. The foreign ministers discussed the conclusions of the Madrid NATO summit in the context of preparations for next year’s meeting of the Alliance in Vilnius that will provide a perfect opportunity to acquaint our allies with the defence environment for the eastern flank countries.

The talks also covered issues related to the Polish minority in Lithuania, bilateral economic relations, regional cooperation, including under the Three Seas Initiative, and Polish-Lithuanian collaboration within international organisations.

While in Kaunas, Minister Rau met with representatives of local divisions of the Union of Poles in Lithuania and thanked them for their efforts to preserve Polish identity in the region.

In addition, the head of the Polish MFA laid flowers at the monument to Antanas Mackevičius, a Polish-Lithuanian priest who was one of the initiators of the January Uprising in Lithuania as well as the organiser and leader of a partisan unit.

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Press Spokesperson