ENCOURAGING CLOSER COOPERATION BETWEEN LITHUANIAN AND LATVIAN BORDER REGIONS
On 5 October Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas together with Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Artis Pabriks took part in the commemoration of 15th anniversary of restoration of Lithuanian-Latvian diplomatic relations in Liepaja (Latvia).
Congratulating both Baltic States on 15th anniversary of restoration of diplomatic relations Lithuanian Foreign Minister was glad to note that besides Lithuanian and Latvian “big politics” – affairs of the European Union, NATO and the United Nations – important issues of border regions are addressed.
Minister Vaitiekūnas mentioned that not political or economic but social factors usually hinder the development of bilateral relations and expressed hope that cooperation between local authorities would help to settle the matters of the border regions more constructively.
“I am sure that only joint efforts and concrete actions will help us to overcome the difficulties in cooperation. And if the administrative wall is destroyed mutual distrust will disappear,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister stated.
Lithuanian and Latvian Foreign Ministers signed a Joint Statement on cross-border cooperation.
The Joint Statement draws attention to the necessity of renewal of activities of Lithuanian-Latvian Intergovernmental Commission on Cross-border Cooperation, analysis of the problems of border crossing formalities and finding solutions to these problems in the nearest future. Also it is necessary to enhance the quality of communication services on the border, improve the road infrastructure in the border regions and examine possibilities of teaching Latvian and Lithuanian at schools of the border regions of both states.
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