Support for Ukraine to be top priority during Lithuania's presidency of CoE Committee of Ministers.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said at a meeting with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric in Vilnius that support for Ukraine will be the top priority of Lithuania's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which starts on May 17.

That's according to the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry's press service.

"The main priority of Lithuania's Presidency is to support Ukraine, which is fighting against Russia's war of aggression. As the President of the Committee of Ministers, I will aim to ensure that all possible mechanisms of the Council of Europe are used to ensure Russia's accountability," Landsbergis said.

Lithuania's Presidency will aim to ensure the functioning of the Register of Damage for Ukraine, the enlargement, a broader Compensation Mechanism for Ukraine and the establishment of a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of Russia’s aggression, which would meet Ukraine's expectations.

Attention will also be paid to the strengthening of support for civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders in the face of oppression in Belarus and other countries, where autocratic regimes hold the upper hand.

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As the Presidency, Lithuania will also strive to ensure a continued agenda of the Council of Europe, implementing the decisions of the Reykjavik summit and decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, supporting human rights and democracy, and focusing on new foreign policy directions, including human rights to a clean and healthy environment and issues of artificial intelligence and human rights.

Photo: BNS