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On 10 May in Vilnius, the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Rolandas Kačinskas met with the Director-General for Political Affairs of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Anna-Karin Eneström, and discussed bilateral and regional cooperation, the security situation in the region, and other important issues on the international agenda.

Kačinskas stressed that cooperation with Sweden and other Nordic and Baltic countries was one of the main priorities of Lithuania. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Sweden, so the Political Director thanked for Sweden’s long-term support for Lithuania on the path towards consolidation of its statehood.

“25 years ago, Sweden was the first foreign state to open its Embassy in our country after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence. Sweden became a model, an important and reliable partner for Lithuania, especially for development of cooperation in the fields of economy, social development, energy security, regional security, defence and other fields,” said Kačinskas.

As regards the strategic cooperation in the field of energy security, Kačinskas drew attention to Lithuania’s concerns over the alarming safety and security issues related to the Astravets nuclear power plant that was being built in Belarus and the negative impact of the Nord Stream 2 project on the EU’s energy security.

In the meeting, the representatives of the two countries underlined the importance of adjusting their positions on the EU’s relations with its eastern and southern neighbours as well as situations in Libya, Syria, and Iraq. Lithuania’s Political Director and the Swedish Director-General for Political Affairs also discussed preparations for the next NATO Summit in Warsaw and the importance of a unified policy of the EU and NATO towards Russia.

“As Lithuania marks the twelfth anniversary of its NATO membership, in the face of today’s threats we must take appropriate measures to defend our achievements, strengthen the EU’s principle of solidarity and deepen mutual understanding of all threats facing our countries,” said Kačinskas.

The Lithuanian representative highlighted the importance of cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries, especially in the fight against the new threats to regional security. He also said that an EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, which was in the moment being prepared, must be drafted on the basis of real assessment of security situation rather than wishful thinking. The Lithuanian representative stressed the importance of backing visa-free travel for Georgia and Ukraine and of continued support for all Eastern partners.