Presidents of Georgia and Lithuania, Salome Zourabichvili and Gitanas Nausėda signed a joint declaration on Friday. The Joint Declaration in support for Georgia’s Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity, European and Euro-Atlantic Integration was signed following the Lithuanian President’s face-to-face meeting with the President of Georgia.

During a joint press conference, Gitanas Nausėda said that Georgia and Lithuania were far away geographically but the two countries had strong connections. As Gitana Nausėda noted, Lithuania remains a supporter of Georgia on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration.

“At the meeting, I conveyed to the President the strong support of Lithuania for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. Yesterday I was at the occupation line and visited the locals. The painful consequences of the war are definitely visible. This is your and our challenge again. Lithuania remains committed and will continue to provide political support to Georgia on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration. Lithuania strongly adheres to the Bucharest agreement and sees Georgia as an inevitable NATO member.

We also talked about the political priorities of the EU Eastern Partners and the assistance of Lithuania to the associated countries that are fighting for EU integration. I think it was a very good step for the associated countries – Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – to try to have a more fruitful and effective dialogue. We will engage in this interaction to make this a priority on the EU agenda. It is important that the forthcoming Eastern Partnership summit is full of goals. It is especially important to show the Georgian people an action plan and to achieve, together with the political forces, what is very important to you”, the Lithuanian President said.

The President of Lithuania arrived in Tbilisi on June 10 with a two-day visit. Before official meetings, he arrived at the occupational line. Gitanas Nausėda said Lithuania would not recognize occupied South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Gitanas Nausėda will hold meetings with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Parliament Speaker Kakha Kuchava and Georgian Patriarch.