News

On the visit to Cyprus on May 17-18, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Vytautas Leškevičius participated in bilateral political consultations with officials from Cyprus to discuss the bilateral cooperation, key issues of the European Union and preparation for the Presidency of the EU Council.

On May 17, Leškevičius and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus Petros Eftychiou discussed bilateral cooperation, prospects for the development of the European neighbourhood policy, nuclear safety issues, and possibilities for closer cooperation in the United Nations system, other issues on global and regional agendas.

The Vice-Minister stressed Lithuania’s concerns regarding the unsafe nuclear projects in the neighbouring EU countries.

On 18 May in Nicosia, Leškevičius met with Deputy Minister to the President of Cyprus for European Affairs Andreas Mavroyiannis to discuss important EU issues and future Presidency of Cyprus of the Council of the European Union.

Mavroyannis identified the priorities of the EU Presidency of Cyprus: negotiations on the multiannual budget of the EU, fiscal consolidation and boosting the EU economy.

Leškevičius stressed the importance of appropriate EU support for the decommissioning of the Ignalina nuclear power plant and emphasized that such an obligation was enshrined in the Lithuanian Treaty of Accession to the EU.

Cyprus will chair the EU in the second half of 2012, and Lithuania will steer the EU wheel a year later.

During the bilateral consultations, officials said that this year Lithuania and Cyprus were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the countries were successfully cooperating as partners both at the EU and bilateral levels. These countries are determined to continue to actively further their mutual relations and coordinate positions on key issues of the EU policy.