"Turkey is an important partner and a reliable NATO ally. We look forward to further close cooperation in strengthening readiness of NATO to counter threats of hybrid warfare," said Linkevičius. He expressed his gratitude for Turkey's participation in the Vilnius based NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence. The Foreign Ministers have signified the implementation of decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Wales.
The importance of ensuring territorial integrity and assistance to Ukraine was underlined during the discussion of the situation in Ukraine. The ministers voiced concerns over the situation of the Crimean residents after its annexation by Russia. The Minister of Turkey expressed his appreciation to Lithuania for the consideration of the problems of the Crimean Tatars whose rights were increasingly restricted in Crimea. Both Ministers expressed concerns over the forced closure of Crimean Tatar-language media outlets.
Turkey's Foreign Minister expressed strong support for Lithuania's ambition to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
"Development of relations with Turkey is among the priorities of our economic diplomacy. We enjoy closer political ties and our economic cooperation is constantly growing. We see a lot of opportunities to further promote business ties, particularly in the field of transport, enhance trade and investment environment," said Linkevičius.
The Turkish Foreign Minister thanked Lithuania for consistent support of Turkey's further integration to the EU. Linkevičius said that Lithuania would like to see progress in Turkey's accession negotiations.
"Turkey faces challenges posed by the proximity of conflict in Syria and Iraq, its role and efforts are of particular importance in providing assistance to the people who fled conflict zones," noted Linkevičius.
During the visit to Vilnius, Çavuşoğlu also met with President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė and Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius, representatives of the local Karaim and Tartar communities.
