News

During the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) meeting of the European Union on 16 June in Luxembourg, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas and other heads of diplomacy the EU member states discussed the issues of Georgia, totalitarian regimes, the Eastern partnership of the European Neighbourhood policy, as well as the prices of food and energy supplies.

During the discussion on Georgia, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs heeded the attention of his colleagues to the necessity to reduce the tension in Abkhazia.

According to the Minister, the European Union has to send a clear message to Georgia that it will talk to Russia on the issue of withdrawing of its military forces from Abkhazia.

‘Our obligation is to convince Russia during the upcoming EU-Russia Summit to withdraw its military forces from Abkhazia. And if additional peacekeeping forces are indeed necessary in Abkhazia, then they have to be international,’ said the head of Lithuanian diplomacy.

Discussing the preparation for the upcoming European Council on 19-20 June, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs positively assessed the fact that draft conclusions of the European Council include the hearings on the crimes of totalitarian regimes. The Minister indicated that it was necessary to continue the discussion in Europe, which began this year in April, in Brussels, regarding the crimes of totalitarian regimes. According to P.Vaitiekūnas, this will allow to enhance mutual understanding of the EU citizens.

Minister P.Vaitiekūnas thanked his colleagues for efforts to develop the Eastern direction of the European Neighbourhood policy partnership.

‘We are making an important step in creating a format of multilateral regional cooperation with the EU neighbours in the East,’ said the head of Lithuanian diplomacy.

During the discussion on the growing prices, the head of Lithuanian diplomacy suggested to dedicate more attention to the prices of energy supplies, including those in the gas sector, where the dependency of Europe on the external suppliers and monopolies had been increasing steadily.

‘Seeking to reduce the prices of food and oil, it is necessary to take measures against the growing prices of energy supplies, not limiting ourselves to the oil markets only,’ stated Minister P.Vaitiekūnas.