News

On 14 February, during the meeting of the European Union and the Black Sea region foreign ministers in Kiev, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas indicated the significance of regional cooperation, holding up the cooperation among the Baltic States as an example.

According to Minister P.Vaitiekūnas the countries in the region are facing the problems that are successfully solved also by the GUAM countries: Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova. 

During the meeting the head of Lithuanian diplomacy stressed the increasing attention of the European Union to the countries of the Black Sea region and suggested to develop the EU cooperation with its European neighbours.

‘The purpose of this cooperation would be to seek for close partnership in the areas of politics and security, economy and finances, social affairs and culture. The latter would encourage free movement of people and would allow the European neighbours to make use of the EU academic programs without limitations,’ said Minister P.Vaitiekūnas.

According to the head of Lithuanian diplomacy, a concrete step to achieve those goals is the encouragement of free trade and free movement of people both among the countries in the region and the EU, as well as within the Black Sea region itself. 

On 13 February, Minister P.Vaitiekūnas also met with Georgian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers David Bakradze and Vladimir Ogryzko.

During the bilateral meeting with Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs P.Vaitiekūnas confirmed the Lithuanian support to Georgia for its goals of Euro-Atlantic integration. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia indicated that the example of Lithuania inspired Georgian political parties to sign an agreement regarding the strategic goal of the state – integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures. 

During the conversation with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister V.Ogryzko, the cooperation between Ukraine and Lithuania in the areas of energy and transport, the Ukrainian role in the development of the European Neighbourhood policy in the East and the preparation for the NATO Summit in Bucharest were emphasized.

This evening Minister P.Vaitiekūnas shall take part in the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Re-establishment of the State and the opening of the Lithuanian Culture Days in Ukraine at the National Philharmonic Hall in Kiev.

During the event, Petras Geniušas and Vladimiras Čekasinas will give a concert.  Minister P.Vaitiekūnas will confer the Foreign Ministry awards – ‘The Star of Lithuania’s Millennium’, to the Ukrainian citizens for their merits to the State of Lithuania.