On 7 September, the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting condemned nuclear tests by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the escalation of the situation, and discussed further EU steps, when considering the possibility of both additional sanctions and diplomatic measures.
Minister Linkevičius spoke in favour of the strengthening of sanctions against North Korea and their effective implementation along with a critical dialogue aimed at seeking a diplomatic rather than military solution to the crisis. Foreign Ministers also highlighted the importance of their unity and cooperation with regional and international partners, particularly with regard to the interests of Japan and South Korea.
As regards the Middle East Peace Process, the Ministers agreed that the EU’s position on the two-state solution remained unchanged, but the EU had to play a more active role in the search for restarting the stalled process. When remembering his visit to Israel that week, Lithuania’s Minister Linkevičius warned that paying more attention to the peace process was difficult for Israel due to the complexity of the security situation and that Israel believed that the greatest threat was posed by Iran. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister stressed the need to immediately set the date for the EU-Israel Association Council.