- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Lithuania expands its peacekeeping presence on Georgia

Subscribe
VILNIUS, June 14 (RIA Novosti) - Lithuania's parliament passed a resolution Thursday expanding the area for the presence of their peacekeepers within international missions to the South Caucasus, namely Georgia.

The resolution also extends the international presence of Lithuanian peacekeepers until December 31, 2010 as until today the country's peacekeeping contingent has been stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

One of the parliament's members said the presence of Lithuanian peacekeepers in the Georgian conflict zones would be a signal for Russia to withdraw its troops from the South Caucasus.

Russia's continued military presence has been a major point of controversy in its relations with post-Soviet Georgia. The leadership of the South Caucasus nation has repeatedly accused Russian authorities of providing support for separatists in the Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Tbilisi is determined to bring back under its control.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала