News

On 3 July, Vilnius hosted quadrilateral consultations between Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Germany on issues related to the Indo-Pacific region. The consultations were attended by Directors of the Departments for Indo-Pacific affairs in the Foreign Ministries, and the Lithuanian delegation was led by the Head of the Directorate for Indo-Pacific Ričardas Šlepavičius.

The consultations addressed critical issues in the region, including China's policy, bilateral relations with the countries of the region and their prospects, the implementation of the European Union's Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and the upcoming bilateral and EU meetings with the countries of the region.

The participants unanimously agreed that the global importance of the Indo-Pacific in the current geopolitical context is increasing, that the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is interlinked, and that the ongoing geopolitical processes change the game for both sides. As the economic potential of the Indo-Pacific opens up new opportunities for European business and creates favourable conditions for the economic security of the EU and its members, it is necessary to strengthen Europe's engagement in the region, encompassing a wide range of international cooperation and providing a solid basis for long-term and sustainable cooperation between Europe and the Indo-Pacific countries.

The Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Audra Plepytė, welcomed the representatives of Estonia, Latvia and Germany, and called for continued regular consultations between the Baltic states and Germany on relevant topics.