Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis met with foreign ambassadors on Thursday to discuss human rights issues, including the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.
According to the Foreign Ministry, during the meeting with the Vilnius-based ambassadors of Estonia, the Netherlands, France, Finland, Sweden, Germany and Spain's acting chargé d'affaires, Landsbergis underlined Lithuania’s priority to expand the area of democracy, the rule of law and human rights both within the EU and beyond.
Special attention was paid during the meeting to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, the so-scalled Istanbul Convention, the statement reads. Participants exchanged views of different countries on the ratification and implementation of this convention.
The Lithuanian minister underlined that violence against women and domestic violence cannot be tolerated, adding that the Istanbul Convention is an important international document defending key human rights.
Ex-Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė submitted the convention to the Seimas of Lithuania for ratification but the process has stalled due to political disagreements on certain gender clauses of this document.
Controversy surrounding the convention erupted in Lithuania earlier this year. The parliament later decided to postpone the process of ratifying the document.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
