News

Just before the start of the formal session, the eight Nordic-Baltic foreign ministers meeting in Palanga on 26 August had a working breakfast with initiators of the world famous peace plan for the Middle East known as Geneva Accord - former Israeli Minister of Justice Yossi Beilin and former Minister of Culture and Information of the Palestinian National Administration Yasser Abed Rabbo. The participants of the meeting assured that the countries of the Nordic-Baltic region were concerned about the situation in this part of the world. The Baltic and Nordic States are willing to make input into the Middle East peace process. At the meeting, opinions on the situation in the Middle East were exchanged and the possible resolving of the current crisis was discussed. The guests form the Middle East presented the details on the situation in the region and the course of implementation of the Geneva Accord. The Geneva Accord was announced on 13 October 2003. This civil initiative of the Israeli and Palestinian societies is an attempt to contribute to the international community’s peace efforts in the Middle East. The Geneva Accord was met with huge interest – it was widely welcomed in the European Union and US. The appearance of the Geneva Accord proves striving of both societies – the Israelis and the Palestinians – to find a peaceful mechanism of neighbourhood, which would be useful to the Israelis, the Palestinians and the whole international community. Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antanas Valionis welcomed the guests from the Middle East and expressed his belief that with the help of the Geneva Accord the Israeli and Palestinian societies would greatly contribute to the Middle East peace process, which is still based on the “Roadmap” plan proposed by the international community. The heads of the diplomacy of the Baltic-Nordic countries voiced their full support to the peace process in the Middle East.