At the meeting of the Lithuanian and Portuguese ministers focus on bilateral relations and securityActivities of the Minister of Foreign AffairsBilateral RelationsNews of the[...]

On 16 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kęstutis Budrys, met with the Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel.

The meeting focused on bilateral relations, cooperation between Lithuania and Portugal within the EU and NATO, strengthening security and defence in Europe, and issues of support for Ukraine.

"Lithuania and Portugal are successfully strengthening their bilateral relations today, based on long-standing partnership, dialogue, and shared strategic interests. We sincerely thank Portugal and its soldiers for their consistent contribution to the security of Lithuania and the Baltic states, and see it as a strong example of NATO solidarity and unity. We are delighted to celebrate today the February 16, the Day of the Restoration of the State of Lithuania, together with our trusted friends and allies," said Budrys.

Portugal regularly contributes to the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission and deploys its naval infantry to Lithuania as part of NATO's Assurance Measures, where they take part in joint exercises with Lithuanian and allied forces and carry out combat training tasks.

The Minister invited Portuguese troops to actively join Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry missions in the Baltic Sea region and NATO frontline states.
When discussing the issues of support for Ukraine, Lithuania's head of diplomacy stressed the need to increase the level of military support for Ukraine, especially taking into account urgent needs such as artillery, air defence, unmanned systems, and military training.

Lithuania and Portugal contribute to the initiatives for the reconstruction and socio-economic development of Ukraine. In January this year, at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Portugal actively supported calls for Russia to stop its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and end the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The meeting also discussed the strengthening of the EU's sanctions regimes against Russia and Belarus, EU-US relations, cooperation within the UN, the Middle East, and Global South issues.
On the occasion of February 16, the Ministers of Lithuania and Portugal also participated in the raising of the Baltic states' flags in Daukantas Square.