Lithuanian delegation, Verkhovna Rada chairman Rybak fail to meet
A Lithuanian delegation led by Speaker of Lithuanian Seimas Loreta Grauziniene didn't meet with Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Rybak on Wednesday, Chairman of the Lithuanian Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs Gediminas Kirkilas has told BNS.
"The Lithuanian delegation was informed that Rybak returned from Canada only on Wednesday morning, the trip was difficult, and that's why all planned meetings have been cancelled," said Kirkilasis, who is on visit to Kyiv with Grauziniene and Deputy Seimas Speaker Petras Austrevicius.
According to him, Lithuanian politicians plan to return to Vilnius met with none of representatives of Ukraine's top leadership.
"Today we'll meet with experts, journalists, deputy chairman of Verkhovna Rada from the opposition and will return," he said.
According to Kirkilas, it was planned that Seimas speaker would speak to Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych, but the latter was taking part in an urgently convened sitting of the National Security and Defence Council.
Kirkilas said that he knows that Lithuanian Minister Plenipotentiary Marius Janukonis has been summoned to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday to give explanations regarding the participation of Speaker of Lithuanian Seimas Loreta Grauziniene in an opposition rally in Kyiv.
"Yes, he was summoned, it's OK. We don't know why yet," he said.
The Lithuanian delegation paid an unscheduled meeting to Kyiv on Tuesday.
On Tuesday night Grauziniene took part in an opposition rally in Kyiv and said that Lithuania supported Ukrainians in the process of European integration.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevicius said that Grauziniene's visit wasn't agreed with the Lithuanian foreign ministry.