News

On 18 July in Vilnius, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius met with representatives of the Japanese Business Federation Keidanren to discuss the advancement of economic cooperation, the energy sector partnership, and the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union and Japan.

Linkevičius stressed that Lithuania was interested in strengthening and maintaining ties with Japan. The Foreign Minister noted that Lithuania and Japan’s trade and investment potential had not been exhausted yet; therefore, it was necessary to further boost bilateral economic cooperation. Currently, Lithuania is among the fastest-growing economies among the EU member states and Japan remains one of the world’s largest economies.

At the meeting, officials exchanged views on cooperation in the field of nuclear power and renewable energy between Lithuania and Japan, and discussed important issues related to the Visaginas nuclear power plant project.

Presenting Lithuania’s priorities for the EU Presidency, Linkevičius emphasized that the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with Japan, the strategic partner for the EU, were among the Presidency’s main objectives. The first two rounds of talks have been held already, and the third round is to be held in October in Brussels.

Keidanren is a key organization in Japan, consisting of more than 1,300 companies and about 130 industrial sector associations.