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The Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius met with representatives from the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the European Parliament, who are visiting Vilnius on 7 May. The Foreign Minister invited them to take advantage of favourable conditions for the rapprochement between the European Union and countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood.

“We should not lose the momentum that we already have in this area, because we might wait long before having another possibility,” the Lithuanian Foreign Minister said, stressing the importance of the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit to be held on 28 and 29 November in Vilnius.

During the working lunch with the delegation led by the Vice-Chair of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Antonyia Parvanova, Linkevičius stressed the importance of the European Parliament’s role in promoting political association and further economic integration between the European Union and the Eastern European partner countries.

“The European Parliament’s role is important for the strengthening of this significant EU initiative, improving its visibility and carrying out parliamentary consultations, as well as the functions of surveillance and monitoring,” the head of the Lithuanian diplomacy said.

When speaking about international trade, the Foreign Minister stressed Lithuania’s aim to ensure the continuity of the EU’s external trade agenda and to promote open and fair trade.

Liberal Members of the European Parliament also met with the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Vytautas Leškevičius, who acquainted the guests with priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council and planned actions for addressing issues related to financial services, legal migration and free movement of EU citizens.

The ALDE Group is the 3rd largest political group in the European Parliament that brings together 85 European Parliamentarians from 21 European countries and 27 political parties, including two Lithuanians - Justina Vitkauskaitė Bernard and Leonidas Donskis.

The political groups in the European Parliament traditionally visit the incoming Presidency of the EU Council. This enables Members of the European Parliament to get acquainted with priorities of the Presidency and to discuss issues which are important for their groups. Visits to Lithuania of members of the European People’s Party, the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, and the Green Group are also planned for coming months.