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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius together with Nordic and Baltic counterparts discussed regional security, energy cooperation, and efforts of these countries to help stabilize the situation in Ukraine in the NB8 meeting in Tallinn on 11-12 September.  

“Our cooperation and closer integration are especially important now, in the context of recent events in eastern Ukraine. We must make every effort to complete as soon as possible the EU internal energy market, and the full integration of the Nordic and Baltic region into it,” said L.Linkevičius.

According to him, it is necessary to ensure a successful financing of strategic energy projects. Lithuanian Minister called on the region’s countries to take full advantage of the opportunities opening up thanks to the new liquefied natural gas terminal in Klaipėda.

“We, the Nordic and the Baltic States, need to make a greater effort to help stabilize the situation in Ukraine. Not only humanitarian aid is required, an urgent defence reform and expert assistance to the Ukrainian Government are also needed. The recent Wales NATO Summit gives us hope to step up security in the region, but we must do it together and work together to implement the decisions that were taken and to engage as much as possible our NATO partners - Finland and Sweden,” said L.Linkevičius.

Lithuanian Minister also stressed that the Nordic and Baltic countries had to be united more than ever in seeking to build common security in the region rather than to achieve short-term and limited goals.

Following the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of the eight countries held a press conference and jointly called for the immediate release by the Russian Federation of an abducted Estonian officer and required to ensure his safe return to Estonia.

Most Ministers also expressed their solidarity with the people of Lithuania in relation to the prosecution of persons, who had refused to serve in the Soviet occupation army.

The Ministers also discussed the volatile situation in Iraq and Syria, and other international policy issues.

The meeting was held by Estonia, which coordinates the Nordic Baltic Eight (NB8) activities this year. In 2015 Denmark will take over the coordination of the agenda of this informal cooperation initiative that was launched in 1992.