News

Mr Linas Linkevičius, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, has used the informal meeting (Gymnich) of the ministers of foreign affairs of the European Union, held in Dublin on 22–23 March to deal with the issue of the relations between the EU and NATO; the minister further urged to benefit from the opportunities offered by the co-operation.

According to the Minister, “We must ensure the development of the EU and NATO relations in the fields of practical co-operation, including civil and military co-operation in course of operations”.

The meeting, held in the capital city of Ireland, presiding the Council of the European Union the current semester, also addressed the situation in Syria, co-operation by the European Union and the regional organisations, as well as review of activities of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

When addressing the issue of Syria, Mr Linkevičius stressed his support for a political solution to the crisis. According to the Minister, what matters is that all parties to the conflict ensure protection of the arsenal of chemical weapons of Syria, to make sure that the weapons in question are not put to use, and eventually destroyed.

The Minister, when discussing review of the EEAS, stressed the need to use the process in question in order to strengthen the Service.

According to Mr Linkevičius, “We seek to ensure joint ownership and concord in the institution above, and must therefore honour the agreed framework as regards implementation of a 30% quota in the EEAS, allocated to the representatives of the diplomatic services of the EU Member States; we must further retain balance of geographical representation in the service of the EU Member States”.