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On 4 April in Vienna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius  met with the Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz. The Foreign Ministers discussed bilateral cooperation, the Eastern Partnership, the situation in Russia and Ukraine, activities within the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Austria holds the Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2017.

In the meeting, Linkevičius highlighted opportunities for development of bilateral economic relations  and joint EU Twinning projects. Over the past year, Lithuania and Austria successfully implemented seven projects in Georgia, Ukraine, Serbia and other countries for enhancement of administrative capacity, also in the fields of finance and energy.

As regards the EU, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister said that “the signing of the Rome Declaration outlines a unified vision for the future of the European Union and explains the basic guidelines for the development of the Community. We believe that the EU will be able to renew its common basis, listen better to the citizens and become a stronger Union”. Both Foreign Ministers also exchanged views on the forthcoming negotiations for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal terms. It is likely that the EU would dedicate considerable attention to negotiating with the UK during the period of Austria’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2018.

When discussing the OSCE agenda, Linkevičius stressed the importance of the  OSCE’s engagement in Ukraine, the need to stop Russia’s military aggression and to ensure the implementation of the Minsk agreements. The interlocutors also discussed the strengthening of the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

During the visit to Vienna, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister also met with the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Austrian National Council Josef Cap.