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The Lublin Triangle Foreign Ministers' meeting in Vilnius focuses on closer trilateral cooperation, situation in the region

On 6-7 July, the 3rd meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the “Lublin Triangle” – Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine – took place in Vilnius. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis welcomed his Polish and Ukrainian counterparts, who came to take part in the “Lublin Triangle” meeting on the eve of the Ukraine Reform Conference. After a long pause due to the pandemic, the event offered the Foreign Ministers the opportunity to discuss various aspects of closer trilateral cooperation in a face-to-face meeting.

On 6 July, the head of Lithuania's diplomacy together with his Polish and Ukrainian counterparts Zbigniew Rau and Dmytro Kuleba discussed the strengthening of trilateral cooperation in this format, the situation in Belarus and Russia, Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, as well as the management of the pandemic. The Foreign Ministers also endorsed a joint plan of action of the three countries on countering disinformation. In  the meeting, Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea were condemned. The interlocutors also highlighted their strong support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic course.

As regards the crisis in Belarus and the regime's ongoing repression, Landsbergis noted the recent spike in irregular migration flows via Belarus and the significance of joint efforts by Lithuania and its partners, including the countries of the Lublin Triangle, in addressing this problem. “We can see how Alexander Lukashenko’s regime uses illegal migration to increase pressure on us. We should not give up. However, a strong and united response from our partners to counter these hybrid warfare activities is also important,” said Lithuania's Foreign Minister.

According to Landsbergis, the Minsk regime is increasingly isolating itself . “This is illustrated by the regime’s withdrawal from the Eastern Partnership initiative, which completely undermines the expectations of the people of Belarus. In addition, the regime has waged a diplomatic war against the EU member states. Today, Lithuania was requested for the second time already to reduce its diplomatic presence in Belarus, leaving only one diplomat in its representation in Minsk. In the end, we only regret such inadequate decisions. And we have recently seen many of them,” said the Foreign Minister.

On the occasion of the 230th anniversary of the Constitution of 3 May 1791 and Mutual Pledge of 20 October 1791, the Foreign Ministers of the “Lublin Triangle” signed the Declaration of joint European heritage and common values and the Road Map for cooperation between Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine within the Lublin Triangle today.

On 28 July 2020 in Lublin, the Lithuanian, Polish, and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers signed a declaration committing to create a trilateral platform for political, economic and social cooperation – the Lublin Triangle.