“We are enjoying very close and dynamic bilateral relations between Lithuania and Sweden. We are all connected by reliable partnership ties and close Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) cooperation, and we are like-minded friends on many issues. Thus, we work together to deal with challenges facing our region and to address issues of importance for the international community,” said the Minister L. Linkevičius.
The Foreign Ministers expressed their hope that the Swedish-Lithuanian Cooperation Fund – a generous gift of the Swedish Government to Lithuania on the occasion of its centenary – would further improve people-to-people contacts between Sweden and Lithuania. According to L. Linkevičius, for many years Sweden has been Lithuania‘s largest foreign investor. Our bilateral trade is growing, but there is still a lot of untapped potential in the bilateral cooperation, especially in high added value and innovative sectors.
The Foreign Ministers agreed that Lithuania and Sweden, as like-minded states that were also among the most active supporters of the Eastern Partnership policy, would continue cooperating to help eastern partners implement their European reforms and strengthen civil society.
L. Linkevičius and A. Linde also met with a delegation of women from the Ukrainian local government and representatives from the non-governmental organizations that aim to promote gender equality, human rights, and the role of women in conflict prevention. The delegation was also visiting Lithuania.
“Words "women, peace, and security” are not poetry. It is a very important issue of national security,” said L. Linkevičius, who also assured his Swedish counterpart that both countries were ready to fully support Ukraine.
