News

On 18 July in Vilnius, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis met with Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom William Hague and discussed with him further bilateral cooperation, important issues on the EU agenda and partnership in the international arena.

 “The United Kingdom never recognized the annexation of Lithuania; soldiers of both countries have participated together in missions in Kosovo and Iraq, just as they do in Afghanistan today. We work together to achieve peace and security wherever necessary. At the same time we still have huge untapped potential in our bilateral political and economic ties,” Ažubalis said.

The Lithuanian Minister and British Foreign Secretary highlighted increasingly active political, economic and cultural ties between the countries; the big Lithuanian community in the United Kingdom also contributes to the development of these ties.

Ažubalis emphasized that trade volumes between the countries were soaring and expressed hope that entrepreneurs from the United Kingdom would more actively grasp an opportunity to invest in Lithuania.

At the meeting, they also discussed the negotiations on the next EU multiannual financial framework 2014-2020. Ažubalis drew Hague’s attention to Lithuania’s concerns regarding the possible reduction of Cohesion Policy funding allocations from the new budget and underlined the positive impact that the EU support had on economic growth. In 2001, GDP per capita in Lithuania was equal to 42 per cent of the EU average, while in 2011 it reached 62 per cent.

According to the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, it is very important to maintain the same level of cohesion funding as a key instrument in achieving a more competitive EU.

Ažubalis also stressed that it was necessary to ensure proper financing of the decommissioning of the Ignalina nuclear power plant, which was a project of entire EU rather than a national one.

In Vilnius, the head of the British diplomacy also held meetings with President Dalia Grybauskaitė and Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius. He took part in the annual meeting of the heads of Lithuanian diplomatic missions. This is the first time this traditional event has been attended by a high-ranking and distinguished guest from abroad.