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On 15 January, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas met with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby, who is on a visit in Lithuania, and discussed with him the situation in South Caucasus, the EU cooperation with the countries in the region, and its perspectives. During the meeting, a lot of attention was dedicated to Georgia, activities of the EU Monitoring Mission in this country and the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. P.Semneby thanked Lithuania for its firm and versatile support to the EU’s efforts in South Caucasus and encouraged the country to continue in the same spirit. According to him, Lithuania has been playing a very important role in the region. After the events in August 2008, and, having in mind the global economic crisis, the EU’s attention to Georgia and the whole region should only grow stronger. European Commissioner responsible for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero‑Waldner will visit the region the next week.

In the opinion of Minister V.Ušackas, the region’s relations with the EU will greatly depend on the level, at which the countries of South Caucasus will benefit from the opportunities that are provided by the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative.  After sharing impressions about his visit to Georgia on 27-28 December 2008 and about the meetings with the highest-ranking officials of this country, the Minister indicated that South Caucasus had always been and would remain on the list of Lithuania’s priority regions.

The interlocutors highlighted the significance of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia and expressed their regret that the mandate of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission in Georgia had not been extended. In response to the Minister’s question regarding the way for Lithuania to better use the funds of aid to Georgia (3.45 million litas), P.Semneby noted that it was worth to invest into strengthening of Georgia’s institutional and administrative capacities.

P.Semneby was appointed as EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus in February 2006. Currently the EU is represented by eleven Special Representatives.