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Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite will pay an official visit to Ukraine on Thursday, November 26, the deputy chief of the Ukrainian president's secretariat, Andriy Honcharuk, told reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday.

He said that the third meeting of the council of Ukrainian and Lithuanian presidents is to be held during the visit.

Honcharuk said that the previous meeting had taken place in December 2008.

The question of increasing trade between the two countries is to be discussed at a high level during the visit, he said. Honcharuk said that the balance of trade had fallen by about 55% over the first nine months of 2009.

The governments of the two countries are expected to sign an agreement on education. Honcharuk said that the signing of the document would help simplify the procedure for "recognizing certain education criteria in the two countries."

He also said that Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko is planning to discuss with Grybauskaite the question of involving Lithuanian investors in projects linked to Ukraine's preparations for hosting the finals of the Euro 2012 European Football Championship.

The heads of the two states are also expected to discuss support for Ukraine's aspirations to join the European Union and NATO.

Honcharuk said that Ukraine is planning to increase the number of its peacekeepers in Afghanistan and that the issue would also be discussed between the presidents, taking into account Lithuania's large contingent in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.

"The issue concerns experts and medical personnel," he said.

Grybauskaite and Yuschenko are also expected to discuss the details of Ukrainian electricity exports to Lithuania via Belarus.

Honcharuk said that a contract to that effect had been signed in November 2009.

Grybauskaite is also scheduled to meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko during her visit.