Minister of Justice Rita Tamašunienė met with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset
Minister of Justice Rita Tamašunienė met with Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, to discuss the strengthening of cooperation between Lithuania and the Council of Europe, support for Ukraine and other relevant issues on the agenda of the Council of Europe.
During the meeting, the Minister emphasised that Lithuania appreciates the visit of the Secretary General in Lithuania, particularly in the light of Lithuania’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
“The cooperation of Lithuania with the Council of Europe is based on a shared commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. We are ready to cooperate more closely in order to ensure good coordination and complementarity of actions, drawing on the expert knowledge of the Council of Europe,” the Minister noted.
Much attention during the meeting was paid to Ukraine – Lithuania once again reaffirmed its strong solidarity with Ukraine in its fight for freedom, justice, and territorial integrity.
“Support for Ukraine is not only a moral imperative but also a cornerstone of Europe’s democratic resilience. Continued support for Ukraine will remain one of Lithuania’s top priorities during our Presidency of the Council of the European Union,” stressed Ms Tamašunienė.
The Minister also underlined the necessity to expedite the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Lithuania has already begun the procedures for the ratification of the Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine and is actively urging other states to take similar steps. According to the Minister, these issues will continue to be consistently and actively raised in all multilateral and bilateral international cooperation formats.
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe also drew attention to the upcoming visit of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) to Lithuania and emphasised the full support of the Council of Europe for Lithuania’s efforts to strengthen the penal enforcement system and improve detention conditions. The Secretary General noted that the recommendations of the CPT are an important tool for ensuring the protection of human rights in detention facilities and for strengthening a transparent and modern penitentiary system.
The Minister of Justice reaffirmed Lithuania’s commitment to abide by the international standards in the area of penal enforcement and stressed that Lithuania values the observations and recommendations of the CPT, which help to consistently improve the system. The Minister also emphasised that Lithuania will continue to strive to ensure humane conditions of detention, the effective resocialisation of convicted persons, and the compliance of the penal enforcement system with the highest human rights standards.