News

On 26 December in Kiev, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas started his official visit in Ukraine by meeting with President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko. The President and the Minister dedicated most of their attention to Ukraine’s participation in the European Union’s Eastern Partnership initiative and the development of bilateral economic relations. The implementation of transport infrastructure projects and matters of energy security, as well as cooperation between Ukraine and NATO were also on the agenda of the meeting.

Minister V.Ušackas encouraged Ukraine to take an active part in the EU Eastern Partnership initiative, which envisaged the signing of the EU and Ukraine association agreement, creation of the free trade zone, facilitation of the visa regime and strengthening of mutual energy dependence.

The Minister expressed his country’s belief that Ukraine would not only take an active part in the EU Eastern Partnership initiative, but would also motivate other countries from South Caucasus to Belarus in achieving the EU standards.

Minister V.Ušackas also assured that Lithuania would continue supporting Ukraine in its preparations for the NATO membership. He promised to dedicate special attention to education of well-informed society that would support the country‘s aspirations.

President V.Yushchenko and Minister V.Ušackas were glad about the dynamic development of economic relations between Ukraine and Lithuania.

During ten months of 2008 Lithuania’s trade turnover with Ukraine was 2.6 billion Litas, out of which 1.6 billion Litas was export from Lithuania. Compared to the same period in 2007, export had grown by 73 per cent. On 1 July 2008, the investment of Lithuanian business in Ukraine was 384 million Litas.

President V.Yushchenko and Minister V.Ušackas also discussed cooperation among the regions of the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea in the area of energy transit. Minister V.Ušackas conveyed the approval of Lithuania's Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius to establish a trilateral working group with experts from Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania, which would seek to solve technical issues of electricity export to Lithuania via the territory of Belarus.

Minister V.Ušackas expressed condolences to the families and friends of those, who had perished during the yesterday‘s tragedy in the Crimean city of Yevpatoriya.

After the meeting with the President of Ukraine, Minister V.Ušackas laid flowers at the memorial dedicated to the victims of Holodomor (the Great Famine), which took place in Ukraine in 1932-1933.