Lithuanian President Nauseda To Pay 1st Official Visit To Georgia From June 10-12

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2021) Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda will pay his first official visit to Georgia from June 10-12 in a show of support for the Caucasian country's aspiration to Euro-Atlantic integration, the presidential office said on Monday.

"President Gitanas Nauseda and First Lady Diana Nausediene will pay an official visit to Georgia on June 10-12. The visit is aimed at demonstrating solidarity with Georgia's aspirations for Euro Atlantic integration, implementation of reforms, and consolidation of democracy," the office said in a statement.

The visit's agenda includes meetings with Georgia's leadership, the local Lithuanian community, and representatives of Georgia's non-governmental organizations, the statement added.

"The President and his spouse should also meet with Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II. Gitanas Nauseda will visit Russian-occupied territories in South Ossetia," the office said.

The first lady will have a separate program, including participation in the ceremony of unveiling a monument to Lithuanian writer Antanas Vilkutaitis-Keturakis, as well as in the presentation of a book at the Lithuanian Language and Culture Center of the Georgian Technical University.

Nauseda has already met with his Georgian counterpart, Salome Zourabichvili, in 2019 during her visit to Lithuania.

Following a short war with Georgia, Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26, 2008. The Russian leadership, on multiple occasions, stressed that the decision reflects reality and will not be reversed. Meanwhile, Tbilisi continues to refuse to recognize the two countries as independent states and considers them as occupied territories.