News

On 12-13 October, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaroslav Neverovič together with Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas is taking part in the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence of Adriatic, Baltic and Atlantic countries in Split, Croatia.

The meeting convenes delegations of Defence and Foreign Ministries from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, the USA, Montenegro, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia and Serbia.

During the meeting most important issues of security and international as well as regional opportunities of cooperation, NATO operations, perspectives of partnership and development, preparation for the upcoming NATO summit in Bucharest in April 2008 are discussed.

As countries that are participating in the NATO Membership Action Plan, Albania, Croatia and Macedonia are seeking to be invited into the Alliance. Participating in the NATO Partnership for Peace program since 2006, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia are seeking ways to strengthen their partnership and cooperation with NATO. The Balkan countries are interested and they hold important the experience of the Baltic States of Euro-Atlantic integration and regional cooperation, as well as that of strategic partnership with the USA.

Since 2000, the Baltic, Central European and Adriatic countries supported each other’s aim of becoming the NATO members through the so-called “Vilnius process”. Seven out of ten participants of the “Vilnius process” – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria – have already become NATO members.

The “Vilnius Ten” countries” provided valuable support to each other in their path to the Alliance. Lithuania strongly supports the invitation to NATO of the three countries, participating in the Membership Action Plan,” said Vice-Minister J.Neverovič.

According to J.Neverovič, “Vilnius process” should continue, applying the same mechanism of cooperation and support to other NATO partners – Western Balkan countries, Georgia and Ukraine – which could become Alliance candidates in the future.

Such meeting is being held for the third time. The first one was held in Brijuni Island, Croatia in 2006. The second meeting took place in Tallinn, at the beginning of this year.