News

On 6 October in Vilnius, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis met with outgoing French Ambassador to Lithuania François Laumonier and thanked him for his active engagement in developing relations between Lithuania and France.

During the meeting, the Minister and Ambassador discussed the recent visit of French Prime Minister François Fillon to Lithuania and the Lithuanian-French strategic partnership action plan that was signed this year.

The plan was signed on 31 May in Paris by the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé. The plan foresees specific implementation measures for the Lithuanian-French strategic partnership that was agreed upon in 2009.

A.Ažubalis thanked the French Ambassador for his country’s participation in NATO air police mission in the Baltic States. France has taken part in this mission already three times.

In the context of bilateral economic co-operation, the interlocutors stressed the intensifying trade relations between Lithuanian and France.

In 2010, Lithuania’s exports to France amounted to 1794 million Litas and imports to 1571 million Litas. Compared with 2009, exports increased by 37.4 per cent, while imports grew by 39.3 per cent.

The Ambassador congratulated the Minister on the successful Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The Minister requested the French Ambassador to ensure adequate representation of France during the OSCE Ministerial Council in early December in Vilnius.

François Laumonier was appointed as French diplomatic representative to Lithuania on 14 October 2008.

Lithuania and France re-established diplomatic relations on 29 August 1991.