29 November 2013, 08:01
The visit of the Chairperson of the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic was not previously arranged with the Ukrainian Party and was held without an official invitation on the part of Ukraine with specification of possible dates through diplomatic channels.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat has telephonically received information from the Charge d'Affaires ad Interim of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine on the intent of the Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas to pay a visit to Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada has post factum received the diplomatic note on the arrival of the Speaker of the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic, after the Lithuanian Party has taken the decision to visit Kyiv.
Nevertheless, in view of the rules and requirements of the international protocol, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat has in an expeditious manner secured the respective level of meeting the high guest and the Seimas delegation in the airport, as well as protocol, transport and safety escort and due placement of delegation members in the hotel.
Thereat, Speaker of the Seimas and other members of the Lithuanian delegation were notified that under the condition of unarranged and unplanned urgent visit, the Ukrainian Party cannot guarantee organization of meetings with high-ranking officials of Ukraine that Mrs. Speaker expected for, since organization of such meetings is within the exclusive competence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Apart from this, the Lithuanian Party was informed that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine works in the regime of deputies working in the constituencies and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Rybak, leading the parliamentary delegation, is on the previously scheduled official visit to Canada (November 24-27) and returns to Ukraine no sooner than November 27. The Ukrainian Party has strongly requested the Lithuanian Party to consider the possibility of deferring the visit of Mrs. Loreta Grauziniene to a later date.
In connection with this, meeting time with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was not arranged and there was nothing to cancel.
We attach your attention to the fact that Office of the President, the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also were surprised with organization of the visit of the Speaker of the Seimas.
Particularly, Foreign Affairs Minister of the Lithuanian Republic Linas Linkevicius stated that “similar visits are an unusual practice.”
In his turn, Vice Speaker of the Parliament Gidiminas Kirkilas informed that the Lithuanian delegation negotiated about the speech at the mass rally in Ukraine and about the meeting with opposition factions.
The Press Service of the Verkhovna Rada claims that the statement of the three factions on the circumstances of the visit of the Speaker of the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic to Kyiv is based on the incomplete and one-sided information and odes not contain the subject for further discussion.