Minister Linkevičius called on his colleagues to take a more strategic approach to the Eastern Partnership, not limited to planning several practical achievements over several years, but to have a long-term vision that would reflect the European aspirations of the Eastern Partnership‘s most advanced countries.
According to Lithuania‘s Foreign Minister, it is necessary to strengthen the EU‘s dialogue with its associated countries, namely Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, and to ensure that one of the core principles of the Eastern Partnership – “more for more”– would be better implemented in practice both at the political level and in terms of practical support.
"We need to dedicated due attention to our Eastern partners. Their success is also our success, because a democratic, liberal, and stable neighbourhood creates a stronger EU. Soon we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership. This is an ambitious, but at the same time very successful initiative. These countries are facing a lot of difficulties due to their European choice. There are ongoing active or "frozen" conflicts in five of the six countries of the Eastern Partnership. We must help these countries, continue the implementation of the Eastern Partnership initiative, and further facilitate the rapprochement of partners with European ambitions towards the European Union," said Linkevičius.
