Georgian parliament speaker, Davit Usupashvili, met Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė and Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius in Vilnius on November 7.

Usupashvili, who met his Lithuanian counterpart Loreta Graužinienė on November 6, arrived in Vilnius after paying visit to Latvia.

The visit of the Georgian parliamentary delegation, which includes lawmakers from both GD and UNM parties, comes three weeks before the EU Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius where Georgia expects to initial Association Agreement with the EU.

“Georgia is undoubtedly among the Eastern Partnership programme’s leaders,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said. Apart of Georgia, the Eastern Partnership also includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

Linkevičius, whose country holds EU’s rotating presidency, said that the October 27 presidential election “demonstrated Georgia’s firm determination to follow the path to democracy.”

“It is important to continue to ensure compliance with the democratic principles of pluralism and the rule of law,” he said.

According to the Lithuanian President’s office, President Grybauskaitė has called on Georgia to “ensure that there is no selective justice and abuse of political opponents” and noted importance of “transparent legal proceedings, fair trial and the rule of law.”

“The situation of minorities also needs to be improved. Other necessary steps include adoption of anti-discriminatory and data protection laws and fighting corruption,” the Lithuanian President’s office said in a press release after meeting between Usupashvili and Grybauskaitė.