On 6 March in Baku, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius met with leaders of Azerbaijan and emphasized Lithuanian’s support for the country’s EU bid.

Linkevičius held meetings with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov, Defence Minister Safar Abiyev, and Minister of Taxes Fazil Mammadov.

“It is very important to Lithuania that the Eastern Partnership initiative should bring benefits for Azerbaijan itself. Therefore, the country has to play an active role in shaping the Eastern Partnership policy,” the Lithuanian Foreign Minister said.

The head of the Lithuanian diplomacy assured that the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius should yield the following specific results: progress in the association negotiations, entry into force of visa facilitation and readmission agreements.

During the meetings with the Ministers, Linkevičius thanked Azerbaijan for the country’s contribution to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. Lithuania invited Azerbaijan to cooperate with the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence (NATO ENSEC COE) in Vilnius.

The interlocutors welcomed the fruitful cooperation of Lithuania and Azerbaijan in the framework of the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission. Linkevičius offered Azerbaijan to use the expertise of Lithuanian IT specialists for the implementation of new information technology projects in Azerbaijan, and to take full advantage of the opportunities for economic development through trade.