The meetings in Paris focused on the support for Ukraine defending itself against the Russian aggression, eliminating Europe's energy dependence on Russia, responding to the effects of war on the global economy, and increasing the resilience of democracies to disinformation.
‘OECD member states may be thousands of kilometres apart, but we are well aware of what unites us and brings us together–namely the principles of democracy, human rights, free economy and the rule of law. Today, we also face common challenges: how to help Ukraine, which is defending itself from the Russian military aggression, as effectively and quickly as possible, and how to protect democracies which are not directly on the front-line of the war as well as democracy as a value which authoritarian regimes seek to discredit’, said Prime Minister Šimonytė.
According to Prime Minister, the OECD has the expert tools which could be used to contribute to the modernisation of Ukraine's economy, strengthening of its state institutions as well as assessing the progress of reconstruction and reforms. Therefore, the OECD's decision to launch an early accession dialogue with Ukraine is very welcome and it sends a very strong signal of political support to the country that is being destroyed by the Russian war. According to Ms Šimonytė, the reforms necessary for Ukraine's aspirations to become a member of the EU and the OECD are processes that complement one another.
At the meeting with OECD President Mr Cormann, Head of the Government of Lithuania noted that Lithuania supports the Organisation's contribution to the National Recovery Plan for Ukraine and is ready to continue contributing to the support projects with its expertise and other necessary capacities.
The OECD Office for Ukraine, initiated and funded by Poland and Lithuania and currently operating in Paris, will be of crucial importance in coordinating support and will reach its full potential once its relocation to Kyiv is completed.
The meeting with the OECD Secretary-General also included a presentation of Lithuania's efforts to mitigate the globally-felt impact of the Russian war in Ukraine on the Lithuanian economy. Prime Minister stressed the importance of the fight against disinformation, especially in countering Russia's hostile and reality-distorting narratives about the effects of its own war on the global economy, and noted that Lithuania supports the OECD's actions in increasing resilience to disinformation and is ready to continue contributing to this area.
In her speech to the OECD Council, Prime Minister also noted that in the face of the war in Ukraine and the threat posed by Russia to the international security, the role of the OECD is particularly important in several ways. Firstly, the organisation is able to provide expert advice to member states on how to mitigate the impact of the war on their economies; secondly, joint efforts are necessary today in order to eliminate European countries’ dependence on the Russian energy resources, as Lithuania has already done; and thirdly, it is necessary to keep up the work already done in the field of resistance to disinformation and propaganda.
‘Lithuania has been and will always be a reliable partner when it comes to defending democracy and the rule-based world order. We are proud to be members of the OECD family, where we share common values and work together for the things we hold dear’, Prime Minister Šimonytė told the members of the OECD Council.
