News

On 26 September in New York, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas took part in the meeting of the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

During the meeting it was agreed to make a common statement of the EU and the USA, encouraging solving the domestic conflict in Burma peacefully and as soon as possible.

The possible visa free regime between the entire EU and the USA was also discussed. Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency, expressed hope that this issue would be solved in the nearest future and the next year it would not be any longer on the agenda of the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU and the USA.

On 26 September the Minister also participated in the dinner organized by the United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Head of Lithuanian diplomacy P.Vaitiekūnas emphasized the importance of the USA and the EU energy dialogue. According to P.Vaitiekūnas, the transatlantic energy cooperation is becoming more and more important for the system of the Euro-Atlantic security.

Regarding the Kosovo issue, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs P.Vaitiekūnas indicated, that countries of both the EU and NATO should prepare themselves very carefully for possible decisions on the issue of Kosovo status in December. P.Vaitiekūnas warned that the decision regarding Kosovo status could also impact the situation in other conflict regions.

One of the first transatlantic dinners of that kind was organized in Vilnius, on April,    2005, during the informal meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

P.Vaitiekūnas is also going to have a bilateral meeting with Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado and discuss important issues of the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU and Russia.

On 27 September, the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs are meeting with their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. It is anticipated, that the Ministers will discuss important issues of mutual cooperation between the EU and Russia.