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On 27 February at foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis called on countries seeking EU membership to carry out all their obligations and make irreversible progress.

“For a reliable process we have to be objective when we evaluate, we need to rely only on facts and achievements, rather than on political considerations. Otherwise, we will act against the spirit of the European Union and forfeit the confidence in our own decisions,” Foreign Minister spoke at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting.

In view of the debate on Serbia’s candidate status, the Ministers exchanged opinions on the fulfilment of the conditions that the European Council raised to Serbia on 9 December 2011.

Ažubalis stressed that Serbia’s reengagement in the dialogue with Kosovo and progress on the implementation of international obligations with regard to EULEX and KFOR missions must be irreversible.

“We take into consideration the last-minute attempts to achieve progress. However, it still does not show a long-term and firm resolution of the country aiming to obtain an EU candidacy,” Ažubalis said.

The recommendation on giving Serbia candidate status is to be adopted by the General Affairs Council on 28 February.

The Ministers agreed to complement the list of the Belarusian citizens that are subject to targeted restrictive measures with names of 21 individuals. A broad list of persons and entities will be drawn up with a view to the Foreign Affairs Council in March.

Prior to the council’s session, Ažubalis participated in the meeting of Nordic and Baltic ministers and called for taking an immediate decision on Belarus.

“We can send a clear and single message to influence the regime and to encourage democratic forces,” the Minister said.

On the eve of the meeting, Ažubalis and Villy Søvndal, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Danish EU Presidency, discussed Serbia’s progress towards gaining a candidate status, Macedonia’s accession negotiations and latest developments in Syria. Last week, Lithuania joined the statement of the Nordic and Baltic countries calling on the Syrian authorities to immediately stop the continued use of force against civilians and violations of human rights, and urging all the members of the UN Security Council to assume responsibility for their actions.