Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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767. To ask the Minister for Defence if he will outline the engagements of the Irish Defence Forces Chief of Staff on his recent visit to Lithuania; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27492/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The official visit of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán McCann, to Lithuania was conducted during the period 28 May to 01 June 2013, 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. In preparation for the hand-over of the Presidency in July 2013 and continued Irish support to the Lithuanian Presidency, key discussions were held with the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr Juozas Olekas, the Irish Ambassador to Lithuania, Ms Philomena Murnaghan, Chief of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania, Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius, Commander of the Land Forces, Major General Almantas Leika, Commander in Chief of Lithuanian Navy, Rear Admiral Macijauskas, and Commander of the Lithuanian Air Force Major General, Edvardas Mažeikis. The Chief of Staff was accompanied on the visit by Colonel Michael Meehan, Director of Strategic Planning and his Personal Staff Officer, Lt. Colonel Tom O’Callaghan. The theme of Common Security and Defence Policy was high on the agenda as July will mark the first time Lithuania will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Ireland’s experience in hosting the Presidency was discussed in order to facilitate preparations for the Lithuanian hand-over. The Chief of Staff was briefed on defence issues which 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 were discussed with Lithuania, seeking to learn from Ireland’s long standing commitment to United Nations Peace Support Operations. The Chief of Staff also discussed Ireland’s overseas engagements in missions led by the EU, UN and NATO. Lithuania also expressed an interest in hearing about Ireland’s expertise in Counter Improvised Explosive Devices.

Discussions also focused on Maritime issues, in particular Ireland and Lithuania’s involvement in the European Defence Agencies Maritime Surveillance project, which involves the pooling and sharing of defence maritime information by 16 participating Member States.

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.