News

On 5 June during the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and Partnership in Bucharest Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Antanas Valionis underlined that the issues discussed in the Forum are important not only for further development of the region, but also for the whole Europe.

“We should work together on the vision of the region to set strategic and political framework for the future,” Minister Valionis said at the conference.

According to the Foreign Minister, the vision of the Black Sea region should be considered in the context of wider discussion on the future of Europe.

“Lithuania as a member of the EU and NATO will strive against Europe becoming a “conservation area” or a “museum for the rich”, but for open and dynamic Europe taking active part in world affairs,” Foreign Minister stated.

The Minister stressed that current level of the Black Sea regional cooperation is not sufficient for implementation of future goals. He stated that only dealing together with long-standing problems the countries of the Black Sea region would learn to trust each other.

“We should start with small but very important thing – sharing experience of the regions and creating broader identity of the Black Sea region. It is necessary to consolidate our efforts of building civic societies in the new democracies. It is also important to strengthen the EU and the U.S. cooperation on the Black Sea region issues,” Minister Valionis stressed.

In Bucharest Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Antanas Valionis met with the Assistant to the U.S. President George W. Bush and Deputy National Security Advisor Jack D. Crouch II. They discussed the spread of democracy in Eastern Europe, energy security problems, bilateral Lithuania-U.S. relations, extension of visa waiver program. J. D. Crouch thanked for Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team’s help to Afghanistan Ghor Province.

Antanas Valionis also met with Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister of Moldova Andrei Startan and discussed topical issues of bilateral relations, Moldova-EU relations, and the Transdnistrian issue. Minister Startan thanked Lithuania for assistance in Moldova’s striving for closer relations with the EU.

The Head of Lithuanian Diplomacy discussed bilateral cooperation, topical international issues and energy security problems with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov.