"Lithuania's Presidency has set itself the following key objectives: to establish itself as a reliable member of the European Union, to actively disseminate and diffuse information, to bring Europe closer to its citizens. The European Year of Citizens 2013 is dedicated to the rights that come with EU citizenship. Over this year, we should enhance European identity and public spirit," Linkevičius said at the convention two months before taking EU helm.

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister named credible, growing, and open Europe as the main priorities for the Lithuanian Presidency, emphasizing the unique EU "open door policy" as one of the essential tools for the implementation of this policy - the importance of the Eastern Partnership continuity.

"As the keynote event of Lithuania's EU Presidency - the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in Vilnius this November - is not a Vilnius event, but rather an EU event organised in Vilnius, its success depends not only on Lithuania, but also on other EU member states and predominantly on the Eastern Neighbourhood countries. We must ensure consistency with the "more for more" principle; the European Union should open the door for the Eastern Partnership countries on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration their progress in implementing reforms for European integration," the Foreign Minister said.

The Foreign Minister identified the following concrete prerequisites for really open EU: active engagement of heads of the EU member states in the initiative, the signing of the Eastern Partnership strategy, the preservation of membership perspectives, a special attention to Ukraine's rapprochement with the EU, free trade and visa liberalization, as well as an adequate financial support to the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood countries for the period 2014-2020.

However, the head of the Lithuanian diplomacy believes that the serious tasks of foreign policy this year were not limited to the Presidency of the EU Council.

Since 1996, Lithuania has been a candidate for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the period 2014-2015. Although a considerable amount of work has been done in gathering support of the most of the UN member states, Lithuania must continue its active diplomatic campaign during the remaining six months.

At the most important meeting this year, the Minister also drew the attention of heads of Lithuanian diplomatic missions to the issues that were ever growing in importance on Lithuania's foreign policy agenda, such as economic diplomacy, transatlantic integration and security policy, cooperation with neighbouring countries and Nordic states, and the engagement of Lithuanians living abroad.

Press Service of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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