Lithuania in the News
7th June 2015
Lithuania Takes up the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the Second Time
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius chairing
the UN Security Council. Photo courtesy urm.lt
During May, 2015, Lithuania took up the presidency of the UN Security Council for the second time. The first time that Lithuania held the presidency of the Security Council was in February 2014. It is now into its second year as an elected non-permanent member of the Security Council. Its presidency of the Security Council has been well received internationally and Lithuania is now a well respected participant in world affairs.
Highlights of Lithuania's May presidency were the adoption of two Security Council resolutions and a Security Council Presidential statement. Lithuania drafted a resolution on small arms and light weapons, which was cosponsored by 56 UN Member States, and was adopted by the Security Council on May 22. Lithuania's second resolution on the protection of journalists in conflict zones was unanimously adopted by the Security Council on May 27. It had been cosponsored by 48 UN member states and that Security Council meeting was chaired by Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius himself.
Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius also personally chaired the high-level Security Council meeting on "Terrorist attacks and threat to international peace and security" on May 29. This resulted in the Security Council adopting a Presidential Statement on foreign terrorist fighters, aimed at halting the flow of foreign terrorist fighters in the conflict zones.

Further information:
http://www.urm.lt/default/en/news/un-security-council
http://www.urm.lt/default/en/news/un-security-council-discussed-measures-to-fight-foreign-terrorists-fighters
http://webtv.un.org/watch/linas-linkevi%C4%8Dius-lithuania-press-conference-27-may-2015/4260695947001