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On 6 November, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys opened the International Partnerships Conference, “Advancing Resilience through Strategic Partnerships”. European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela also attended the conference.

In his opening remarks, the Minister stressed that in today’s world, strong and vibrant partnerships are an investment in a safer, more resilient and more competitive Europe.

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has demonstrated that security, the economy and development cooperation are closely interconnected. Europe must act strategically and build partnerships based on shared interests and mutual benefit that strengthen both our partner countries and the European Union itself,” Budrys said.

According to Budrys, Europe’s ambitions must be accessible to all Member States and their businesses. This requires simpler procedures, broader access to financial instruments and stronger public-private partnerships. The potential of smaller Member States and small and medium-sized enterprises must be harnessed in practice, rather than merely formally.

In the Minister’s view, the forthcoming discussions on the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034 will be an important test of Europe’s strategic priorities. Lithuania supports a strong, flexible and adequately funded external action budget that ensures long-term support for Ukraine, the Eastern Neighbourhood and partnerships that strengthen Europe’s resilience and competitiveness.

During its Presidency of the Council of the EU, Lithuania will seek to bring Member States together in a common effort to strengthen Europe’s security and resilience.

“Resilience must become a central pillar of our international partnerships. Ukraine must remain at the heart of Europe’s attention, while the lessons learned must help us build stronger ties with partners around the world. Only in this way can we build a secure, resilient and competitive Europe,” Budrys said.

Together with Commissioner Síkela, the Minister attended the signing of an agreement under which Lithuania’s “Future School for Ukraine” project became a Team Europe Initiative. The project aims to implement a Lithuanian-developed adaptive school design model in the Zhytomyr region, tailored to the needs of communities affected by the war. Team Europe Initiative status opens up opportunities to mobilise broader support from EU institutions, Member States and financial partners to accelerate the reconstruction and modernisation of Ukraine’s education infrastructure.