Lithuania’s Foreign Minister stressed that over the past 3 years Ukraine had implemented more reforms than during the previous 23 years. According to Linkevičius, Lithuania’s idea of a long term plan for financial support for Ukraine (the so-called ‘Marshall Plan’) has received widespread support from Western partners.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister also highlighted the need to strengthen the European Union’s support for ongoing reforms in the associated Eastern Partnership countries - Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – and to establish a long-term strategy for relations with these countries.
“Having exhausted the current agenda of the Eastern Partnership, we face risks of losing the attractiveness and momentum of this initiative. The Eastern Partnership Summit in November provides us with a good and timely opportunity to change this,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.
The event was organized for the first time ever in co-operation with the Vilnius Institute for Policy Analysis. It was attended by foreign policymakers and experts from Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and other countries.
The purpose of the ‘Vilnius Consultations’ is to contribute to the formation of the EU’s Eastern Partnership policy, as well as to mobilize and strengthen expertise of Lithuania and its partners in this field.
