Lithuania's Foreign Minister Landsbergis on EU enlargement: "We can and should expand"

On 18 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, attended a session called "Adding Chairs to the Table: A Deeper, Wider, and More Capable EU?" on the main stage of the Munich Security Conference ". It was also attended by the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Olha Stefanišynna, the Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, and the diplomatic advisor to the President of France Emmanuel Bonne.
Lithuania's Foreign Minister underlined the unique importance of the EU's enlargement for Europe's security, stability and prosperity.
"We understand what presses Georgia and Ukraine very well. And I remember the phrase that we used to repeat on and on that Lithuania was not joining the European family but returning to it. And this is the deep cultural understanding in our DNA that we were turned out twice from Europe, and we will go back. It is our integral understanding of why we need to go back. Therefore, now we stand so firmly behind those countries also aspiring to return to their cultural community that they truly belong to," the head of Lithuania's diplomacy said.
According to Landsbergis, the EU's enlargement process must be based on a solid commitment to European values, so the geopolitical choices of candidates and progress in strengthening democracy are essential for its success.
"We can and should expand. It is possible to take these steps to overcome the tedious processes. This has nothing to do with administrative processes. This has to do with the political process. If we allow us to be too frightened by the processes on the Brussels side, it would be a major geopolitical mistake," Lithuania's Foreign Minister said at the conference.
This year, the MSC is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The annual event brings political leaders, academics and business representatives together to address the world's most pressing security concerns.