News

On April 26 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė held meetings with representatives from Myanmar/Burma, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos to discuss issues of bilateral relations, economic partnership and opportunities for more active cooperation on education.

Skaisgirytė Liauškienė participated in the ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union that took part on April 26-27.

During the visit, the Vice-Minister met with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar/Burma U Wunna Maung Lwin, Deputy Foreign Ministers of Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos Datuk Richard Riot, Pham Quang Vinh and Alonnkeo Kittikhone. Cooperation on the multilateral level was discussed during the talks.

Skaisgirytė Liauškienė commended Myanmar/Burma’s Foreign Minister on democratic reforms in this country and called for further work in the area. The meeting discussed the parliamentary by-elections that took place in April in Myanmar/Burma and was won by the party of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

On April 23 in Luxembourg, EU Foreign Ministers decided to suspend EU sanctions against Myanmar responding to democratic changes in Myanmar/Burma.

The conversation with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam focused on the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and possibilities of signing bilateral treaties. Skaisgirytė Liauškienė invited Datuk Richard Riot to pay a visit to Lithuania with a business delegation. Vietnam’s representative accepted the invitation to come to Lithuania and is planning to visit the country this autumn.

Vietnam recognized Lithuania on 9 November 1991. These countries established diplomatic relations on 18 March 1992.

Laos Deputy Foreign Minister suggested that representatives of Lithuanian businesses should get acquainted with his country’s possibilities to develop business and bilateral relations, which have unused potential. Participants of the conversation indicated that Laos could become a gateway into the ASEAN market for Lithuanian business.

The meeting discussed a possibility of signing the bilateral agreements that create a legal framework for cooperation between the countries.

During the conversation with the Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister, Skaisgirytė Liauškienė presented opportunities for Malaysian students to study at higher education institutions in Lithuania, especially in the field of medicine. The Vice-Minister also noted that Lithuania could become a gateway into the EU market for the entrepreneurs of this country.