Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán McCann, paid an official visit to Lithuania during the period 28 May to 1 June 2013. His visit was conducted in the context of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union as part of the 18 month Trio programme of Ireland, Lithuania and Greece. The visit afforded the Chief of Staff the opportunity to call on the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence, where he met with the Minister of National Defence, Juozas Olekas, and senior military staff. Ireland’s experience in hosting the Presidency of the Council of the European Union was discussed to facilitate preparations for the handover to Lithuania in July 2013. This will be the first occasion Lithuania will host the Presidency.

The Chief of Staff briefed the Lithuanian delegation on the defence issues I prioritised for our Presidency and the progress made in these areas. The outcome of the meetings and seminars held during the Irish Presidency, which were utilised as an opportunity to progress the development of the common security and defence policy agenda, were also discussed. During the visit, joint areas of interest, including Ireland’s overseas engagements in missions and Ireland's and Lithuania’s involvement in the European defence agencies' maritime surveillance project, were also discussed. Lithuania also expressed an interest in hearing about Ireland’s expertise in countering improvised explosive devices. During the official visit, tours and briefs of the headquarters of the Lithuanian land force, air force and navy, search and rescue units and various other elements of the Lithuanian armed forces were undertaken.

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