News

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

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 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 apply for becoming a member of the Union.  On the other hand, Ukraine is not yet ready for the membership, and a partnership with the EU is not enough for Ukraine, so currently the EU currently 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 participating in the Eastern Partnership initiative would be drawing a clear ‘guidelines’ for a visa free regime with EU.

During the conversation, Ministers also discussed further cooperation plans between the Visegrad and Baltic States. 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 neighbourhood. I trust that close cooperation between Lithuania and Hungary in this area will help to achieve our goals,” V.Ušackas said.

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

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 discuss the issues of relations between East and West, key strategic challenges that the Euro-Atlantic community will have to face in 2010.