L. Linkevičius attends Foreign Ministers’ meeting of NB8 and Visegrád Group
On 3 June, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) and the Visegrád Group held a video conference to discuss key political issues, including the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and attempts to tackle its negative effects in the European Union.
The Foreign Ministers of the twelve countries discussed relations with China and Russia, the Eastern Partnership policy, cyber security issues, and the situation in the Western Balkans. They also exchanged their views on the Multiannual Financial Framework, a new recovery instrument, the European Green Deal, the digital transformation, and the rule of law.
It was unanimously agreed that the coronavirus crisis had highlighted the importance of a partnership, cooperative coordinated actions, and effective multilateral cooperation.
“The EU must maintain its strategic interest in and attention on Eastern partners. Otherwise, we risk creating a vacuum that will quickly be filled by other players," the Minister L. Linkevičius warned, talking about the Eastern Partnership policy.
The Foreign Ministers’ meetings of the NB8 (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden) and the Visegrád Group (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) have been held annually since 2013.
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