Minister Linkevičius noted that it was of critical importance to avoid double standards for Western Balkan countries and EU Eastern Partners by offering the same European prospects to all those that aim at and spare no effort for rapprochement with the European Union and share European values. “National politics should not supersede common European goals. The Eastern Partnership summit to take place in November must result in decisions that would outline not only European prospects; they should also ensure that a new European Fund for Sustainable Development, being established now, can notably contribute to the growth of the Eastern Partners’ economy,” the Minister said.
The EU foreign ministers also discussed priorities in implementing the EU Global Strategy for the coming twelve months. “Having made a good start last year, we shouldn’t relax. It is important that we continue working on concrete security and defence projects, on strengthening EU resilience, particularly in the areas of strategic communication and fight against propaganda, and on stepping forward. Lithuania, together with other six member states, calls on Federica Mogherini and her Service to allocate adequate funds for strategic communication that is still being supported by member states only and to turn it into an efficient instrument of EU policy implementation. EU-UN strategic partnership was endorsed while Lithuania was holding Presidency of the Security Council; that is why time is ripe for filling it in with substance by supporting UN reforms and ensuring the right to veto is not used when issues are related to human rights violations, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide,” Minister Linkevičius said.
The ministers also considered the situation in Libya, North Korea, and external migration.
