News

On the eve of the informal EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Budapest, on 11 March, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis and Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs János Martonyi discussed current issues of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and agreed to mutually support the countries’ candidacies for a non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

According to Minister A.Ažubalis, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union is a solemn role of the EU member states, as it is important to ensure the conveyance of good practice at all levels. Hungary holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union this half-year, Lithuania will take over in 2013.

Lithuanian and Hungarian Foreign Ministers agreed to mutually support the countries’ candidacies for a non-permanent seat of the UNSC. Hungary put forward its candidacy for a non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council in 2011 and Lithuania will candidate during the elections in 2013.

Minister A.Ažubalis acquainted J.Martonyi with the objectives of Lithuania’s Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), acquainted him with his, as the OSCE Chairperson’s visit to Kyrgyzstan in the beginning of March, informed him about the fragile security situation in the country and invited the head of the Hungarian diplomacy to join the OSCE initiative to assist Kyrgyzstan.

During the informal EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting on 12 March, foreign ministers will discuss the situation in the EU’s southern neighborhood, especially in Libya. Ministers A.Ažubalis and J.Martonyi agreed that it was important to aim to review the European Neighbourhood policy appropriately and to ensure that it would be more effective.