President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen.
The Ukrainian President noted the importance of the Speaker's first official visit to Ukraine as evidence of the traditionally high dynamics of the Ukrainian-Lithuanian political dialogue.
The President thanked Lithuania for supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
"We are very grateful for your continued support. Since the beginning of the war, Lithuania has been the first to support Ukraine and has not recognized the annexation of Crimea," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President invited the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania to the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the decision of President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda to take part in the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform.
"This is an important moment for us, as there has not been a platform for the deoccupation of the Crimean peninsula for many years," the President stressed.
The interlocutors discussed measures taken by Ukraine and Lithuania to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and noted the importance of ensuring equitable access of the countries to certified vaccines.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen and all deputies of the Seimas for the adoption on April 27 of the Resolution condemning the provocative actions of the Russian Federation and expressing support for our state.
"It is such decisive steps by our international partners that helped reduce the degree of tension along Ukraine's borders and in the temporarily occupied Crimea," the President said.
At the same time, the President urged not to lose vigilance and to take effective measures to deter Russia's aggressive actions.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed the Speaker of the Seimas about the lasting militarization of the Crimean peninsula and the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation as a result of human rights violations by the occupation authorities. The President commended the desire of the Lithuanian delegation to visit the administrative border with the occupied Crimea in the Kherson region and to communicate with internally displaced persons.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also praised the formation of a parliamentary platform on the deoccupation of Crimea on May 11, 2021 in the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.
The President positively noted the high dynamics of Ukrainian-Lithuanian inter-parliamentary cooperation both in the bilateral format and within the inter-parliamentary assemblies of international organizations.
"I look forward to further strengthening cooperation between the legislators of Ukraine and the Republic of Lithuania," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The parties also discussed Ukraine's strategic goal of political association and economic integration into the European Union.
The President noted the importance of signing a joint Declaration of the Presidents of Ukraine and Lithuania on Ukraine's European prospect.
"Lithuania was the first to sign a bilateral Declaration in support of Ukraine's aspirations for the European Union. I want to thank President Nausėda for this," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President of Ukraine called on Lithuania to help convince European partners of the expediency of signing bilateral declarations on the European prospect with Ukraine.
The Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas reaffirmed the invitation previously expressed to Volodymyr Zelenskyy by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda to take part in the Fourth International Conference on Reforms in Ukraine, which will be held in Vilnius on July 7-8, 2021. The President of Ukraine thanked the Lithuanian side for intensifying the preparatory process for the conference.