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Regardless the results of Ukraine’s upcoming presidential elections on 17 January, relations with Ukraine have to be on the priority list of the EU agenda, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Balázs noted at a bilateral meeting on 14 January in Vilnius.

The Ministers expressed trust that political peace and cohesion will settle, and reforms will be consistently carried out after the presidential elections in Ukraine.

According to Minister V.Ušackas, we have to make every effort to give a strategically important impetus to the development of EU-Ukraine relations.

“Article 49 of the Treaty of European Union allows any European country to aim at a perspective of EU membership.  On the other hand, Ukraine is not yet ready for the membership, and a partnership with the EU is not sufficient for Ukraine, therefore currently the EU has to be a clear landmark and a guide for Ukraine,” Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs said.

According to the Minister, an important impetus in strengthening European perspectives for Ukraine and other countries of the Eastern Partnership initiative would be drawing a clear ‘roadmap’ for a visa free regime with the EU.

The Ministers also discussed further cooperation plans between the Visegrad Group and the Baltic States. Ministers V.Ušackas and P.Balázs agreed to actively cooperate when preparing for the presidency and chairmanship of important international organizations: in 2011 Lithuania will chair the OSCE, and in the first half-year of the same year Hungary will hold the EU Presidency.

“We have to make joint efforts for the EU and the OSCE to work together to address the important issues of European security and neighbourhood. I trust that close cooperation between Lithuania and Hungary in this area will help to achieve our goals,” Minister V.Ušackas said.

During the meeting, a successful bilateral cooperation in providing consular services when issuing Schengen visas was also discussed.

On 14-15 January Lithuanian and Hungarian foreign ministers will attend an informal Snow Meeting of European and North American experts on international and security policy - politicians, political scientists, diplomats and analysts - in Trakai. The participants of the meeting will discuss the issues of relations between East and West, key strategic challenges that the Euro-Atlantic community will have to face in 2010.