The EU foreign ministers also discussed the EU’s actions following the publication of the advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice on the declaration of Kosovo’s independence. On 22 July, the Court ruled that the declaration of Kosovo’s independence was not a violation of international law.

Minister A.Ažubalis welcomed the publication of the advisory opinion of the Court and highlighted that in the Western Balkans key attention had to be dedicated to regional cooperation, stability and closer relations with the EU. According to the Minister, the EU had to send a strong signal to Kosovo and Serbia, inviting these countries to open a dialogue with each other.

According to the head of Lithuania’s diplomacy, facts and arguments based on the international law showed that Kosovo was a unique case and, therefore, it was not a precedent for solving conflicts in other regions of the world.

Before the Foreign Affairs Council and the General Affairs Council in Brussels, the foreign ministers from the Baltic States and Nordic EU countries had a separate meeting to discuss the situation in Central Asia. Minister A.Ažubalis presented to his counterparts the results of his meetings with ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

“We are going to visit these countries in spring 2011, during Lithuania’s chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,” Minister A.Ažubalis said.

The Minister stressed that Central Asia faced numerous challenges, such as water and energy resources management.

The crisis in Kyrgyzstan was also discussed. Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs said that he valued the decision of the OSCE Permanent Council to send a Police Advisory Group to this country. According to Minister A.Ažubalis, Lithuania’s OSCE chairmanship will pay considerable attention to this region.

On 25 July, the eve of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting, the political directors from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Baltic and Benelux states (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) held an informal meeting, during which the EU’s relations with strategic partners, the European Neighbourhood Policy and activities of the European External Action Service were discussed, and an agreement was reached to hold the Baltic and Benelux foreign ministers’ meeting this autumn.

It is obvious that Lithuanian-Belarusian political and economic relations have become more active lately. Can we say that bilateral dialogue between our countries is becoming more active?

Belarus appreciates political, economic, scientific, technical, and humanitarian relations with Lithuania very much. This was confirmed by Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s visit to Lithuania. Lukashenka’s meeting with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and his participation in the open Lithuanian-Belarusian economic forum shows that bilateral political dialogue is being conducted at the highest political level. Neighbours should show their potential to solve the problems that arise because of the global economic crisis.

It is important to note that Lithuania is one of the most important foreign trade partners for Belarus right now.

However, the bilateral trade balance in 2009 decreased by almost one-third compared with 2008.

That is true. However, this is actually a good result considering theeconomic crisis. In 2009, turnover of goods between Lithuania and Belarus was $566 million: export – $371 million, import – $195 million. This year’s financial indicators are optimistic: Turnover of goods over the first four months of 2010 is 1.4 times higher. Over 300 companies with Lithuanian capital are operating in Belarus; Lithuania has about 200 companies established by Belarusian investors.

In May 2010, Lukashenka participated in the 6th International Economic Forum in Lida. What were the topics of discussion between the president and Lithuanian entrepreneurs?

They discussed the topical issues related to the Lithuanian capital in Belarus. I do not doubt that the Lithuanian side received all the answers it had on the prospects for the future. It is important to note that Lithuanian investors could hardly find a better guarantor of security than Lukashenka’s interest in the development of bilateral relations. I would like to stress once again that this shows that our bilateral cooperation is strong and that it produces real economic and political results.

Can we say that Belarus has become more open to investments: That Lithuanian investors are getting more and more interested in Belarus and that Belarusian investors are getting more and more interested in Lithuania?

In 2008-2009, investors from Lithuania submitted seven projects related to construction business. There are 15 such projects at the moment, and Lithuanian and European investments in Belarus reach EUR 0.5 billion.

Lithuanian entrepreneurs have gathered broad experience in the areas of construction, infrastructure, management of hotels, restaurants, catering, as well as in trade and logistics. All these businesses are very needed in Belarus. I do not doubt that our country has proper conditions for foreign investments, and this is why I think that Belarus is attractive to Lithuanian capital.

Belarusians also find Lithuania attractive. As I have mentioned, there are 200 Belarusian-capital companies active in Lithuania at the moment. One of such examples is Amkador, the manufacturer of road building equipment. The company has acquired an agricultural equipment plant located near Vilnius. It is going to actively expand its activities and to create about 100 jobs there.~

We have been discussing that the people living near the Lithuanian-Belarusian border should be subject to simplified visa regime. Has there been any progress?

This issue – important to both countries – is about to be solved. The planned agreement will provide the people living on both sides of the border with many privileges. This is a serious turn towards liberalization of visa policy. Not long ago, Belarus signed such an agreement with Poland. We believe that similar agreements will be signed with Lithuania and Latvia soon.

I would like to stress that the first technical and expert consultations with the European Commission regarding the possibility of applying simplified visa regime and of lowering prices of visas for Belarus and EU countries have already taken place.

As the first President following the restoration of Lithuanian independence, President Brazauskas worked tirelessly to re-establish constructive relationships with the United States and all countries. He further strengthened Euro-Atlantic relationships while serving as Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006, during which time Lithuania joined NATO and the European Union. We join the people of Lithuania in honoring President Algirdas Brazauskas and his life of public service.

The paper starts with saying that Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius rounded off the two-day international forum in Vilnius with an ambitious statement that he made at a press conference: “We are seeking to turn our region into the most competitive region in the world.”  However, it was not the prime minister’s ambitious statement and not the participants in the forum that attracted public attention to the meeting of the prime ministers of the Baltic Sea states.

According to Lietuvos rytas the biggest attention attracted those who did not attend the meeting – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Actually, two more prime ministers did not attend the meeting – Poland’s Donald Tusk and Sweden’s Fredrik Reinfeldt.  (For some reason the Lithuanian media completely missed a fact that the Danish Prime Minister was also absent from the events in Vilnius – the Lithuania Tribune).  And this was why even Kubilius had to reassure the public that the summit taking place in Lithuania should not be underestimated just because the prime ministers of the most influential countries – Russia, Germany, Sweden, and Poland – did not attend the meeting.

It is clear why the German chancellor did not come, Lietuvos rytas convinced. The political turmoil in Germany after the unexpected resignation of President Horst Koehler indeed made it difficult for Merkel to leave the country.  However, we should not dismiss as insignificant the fact that some other prime ministers did not attend the forum and that certain signals were sent out during the forum.

From the point of view, Lietuvos rytas thinks, of our country’s interests, there is some doubt as to whether Putin’s decision not to attend the forum is the most important signal. And perhaps we should not pay too much attention to the speculations that the Russian prime minister did not attend the forum in Vilnius because Lithuania “did not deserve” his visit yet. Looking form a wider perspective, even if Putin wanted to send some signal by not attending the forum, Lithuania is certainly not the most important factor here.

The Russian prime minister’s decision not to participate in the regional cooperation forum, in which, if not for the political crisis in Berlin, the German chancellor was determined to participate, is an important diplomatic signal. However, this signal was sent not as much to Lithuania as to all the countries of the Baltic Sea region, writes the paper.

It is not difficult to decipher Putin’s message. Russia does not see the cooperation of the countries of the Baltic Sea region as a top foreign policy priority. Relations with the EU are another story. It was these relations that Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev and EU leaders were actively discussing this week in Rostov-on-Don.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, who substituted for Putin at the meeting in Vilnius, confirmed this version in very clear terms.

Zubkov’s response to the EU Baltic Sea Strategy was very sceptical, even though it is this strategy that could become one of the most important instruments in implementing the ambitious goals of turning the Baltic Sea region into “the most modern, the most competitive, and the most prosperous region.”

It is important to make a note of Russian attitude, at least when we create further plans for the cooperation of the Baltic Sea states. This is much more important than Putin’s likely decision that Lithuania “does not yet deserve” his visit.

In this respect, a more worrying signal is the decision of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk not to attend the Summit of the Baltic Sea States Council. By making this decision, Poland has shown the same as Russia: Warsaw also does not see regional cooperation as a top foreign policy priority.

Warsaw is interested in strengthening regional cooperation in Central Europe. The cooperation of the Baltic Sea countries is interesting to Warsaw insofar as it can help it achieve some concrete goals. In truth, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who substituted for Tusk during the meeting, did make a public statement that Poland was prepared to cooperate with the European Commission and Lithuania in “developing the infrastructure – railways, roads, and energy links between our countries.”

However, the news that came from Poland is more telling. Warsaw decided against its plans to use the 200 million Euros allocated to the electricity bridge to cope with the flood situation only after Vilnius and Brussels protested against such plans. Even now Poland does not rule out the possibility that it could use a small portion of this amount for other purposes than the electricity bridge.

Moreover, Sikorski used the Vilnius forum for his own political goals, which were not even coordinated with Lithuania. He publicly thanked Kubilius, several times, for his support to the Polish-Russian proposal that the EU should introduce a visa-free regime for the entire Kaliningrad region, even though Lithuania’s position on this issue has been very cautious.

Another decision not to attend the forum in Vilnius that we should discuss is the decision made by Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. Sweden is one of the most active supporters of the Baltic Sea Strategy and regional cooperation. Reinfeldt’s decision not to attend the forum in Vilnius is if not a cold then at least a coldish shower for Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. The Lithuanian president has been enthusiastically declaring that her foreign policy priority is strong support to the strengthening of the cooperation among the Nordic and Baltic countries.

The paper concluded saying that the decision by the Swedish prime minister can have only one meaning – that the aforementioned cooperation is not a goal for his country and that it is just a means to achieve some goals.  If Lithuania shaped its foreign policy in a similar manner as the above mentioned countries, perhaps then it would move from talking about pragmatism to real pragmatism, and perhaps then we would have fewer illusions regarding our relations with Russia, Poland, and the Nordic countries.

In her welcome address to the Baltic Sea youth event, the President underlined that good relations with neighboring countries and regional cooperation were a top priority in Lithuania’s foreign policy. She further said that successful cooperation between the Baltic and Nordic countries were best reflected in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region which was set to accelerate regional development and the resolution of issues topical for the whole region.

Dalia Grybauskaitė underscored that the Baltic Sea states were bound together by common economic, infrastructural, cultural, and scientific interests as well as by strategic projects. She expressed her strong belief that youth and other non-governmental organizations would contribute in a major way to the implementation of joint projects.

“It is not by chance that the non-governmental sector – the civil-minded people, the academic community and, of course, youth -is seen in Lithuania, like in other Baltic Sea region countries, as an active player for implementation the Baltic Sea Strategy,” the President said.

According to the President, only close and effective collaboration between the government and youth organizations, based on voluntary participation as well as on the values of human rights, freedom and democracy, will give a definite momentum for the Baltic Sea region to emerge as an area of genuine trust, well-being and cooperation.

The B-Young event, held in Vilnius on May 13 through 16, has gathered around 150 youth activists from 10 Baltic Sea region countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Germany.

This youth event is part of the Lithuanian presidency agenda for the Council of the Baltic Sea States. It is attended by Sergey Koperdak, Head of Youth Unit, DG Education and Culture EC as well as by representatives of the European Youth Forum, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Baltic youth organizations, the Nordic Council of Ministers, and the embassies of the Baltic Sea countries.

Press Service of the President

The Lithuanian and Latvian Foreign Ministers stressed the necessity to further strengthen the Nordic-Baltic cooperation (the total population in these countries is 35 million) in attracting investments, developing high technologies, renewable energy scheme and transport infrastructure, educational and medical research.

Minister A.Ažubalis acquainted A.Ronis with the preparation for the Baltic Sea States Summit to be held on 1-2 June in Vilnius. The Summit will focus on economic issues.

The Foreign Minister of Latvia stressed that Lithuania and Estonia were ‘Latvia’s closest partners and allies’ and the cooperation between the countries was ‘very close and could even set an example for other European countries.’

Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs also invited Latvian representatives to participate in the round table discussion on the new nuclear power projects in the region and the issues related to nuclear safety and environmental protection. The discussion will be organized in Vilnius on 16 June.

During the visit to Vilnius, Aivis Ronis also held meetings with Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania Irena Degutienė and Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius.

At the meeting, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Azubalis spoke up for maintaining Alliance’s ability to guarantee an effective deterrent and security of its member countries, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports. “It is not enough to declare the principle of defence. This must be implementable in practice through developing capacities, organizing maneuvers and a variety of training, as well as gradually building a well-balanced NATO infrastructure in all of its member countries. Lithuania understands training not as something that is unique or meant to reassure, but as a necessity of regular military exercises, i.e., joint exercise for NATO forces that would allow for greater interaction of military forces and political alliance of member countries,” the Minister said.

According to Minister Azubalis, Lithuania’s interest in the preparation of NATO’s new Strategic Concept is not limited just to the defence of the Baltic States, because such an attitude would be too selfish and narrow.

“In the new document, Lithuania and its allies aim to set an entirety of the Alliance’s goals and objectives, which would integrally estimate the strategic security environment and perspectives of change, and would outline the directions for building the Alliance’s forces. In any case, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty must remain the fundamental element of the new Concept,” the Minister stressed.

When commenting on public interpretations of the Baltic Defence plans, the Minister said that this topic should not be discussed in public.

NATO ministers discussed the issues of Alliance’s development. Lithuania once again stressed the importance of the open door principle and the need to aid candidate countries to prepare for NATO membership.

After a longish debate, a short formal session was held during which NATO foreign ministers decided to invite Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the Membership Action Plan, if it achieved the necessary progress in its reform efforts.

When discussing how to take forward the Alliance’s nuclear posture, the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty by the U.S. and Russia was evaluated favourably, as well as the process of strategic nuclear arms reduction.

When speaking about this issue, Lithuania’s Minister emphasized the need to maintain a proper balance in nuclear and conventional weapons, to avoid decreasing the security of NATO member countries.

When discussing the issues the Alliance’s relations with Russia, Minister Azubalis said that positive signs in Russia were observable, and it would be a mistake to ignore them. However, the Minister pointed out to the ambiguity of the situation regarding Russia’s actions in Georgia, where the country fails to comply with its international obligations and builds its military infrastructure.

In Tallinn, Minister Azubalis had a conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Minister thanked the U.S.A. for the attention paid to Lithuania and suggested to discuss in more detail the upcoming Lithuania’s Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Clinton said that in 2011 Lithuania would face difficult work within this organization. She evaluated Lithuania’s Presidency of the Community of Democracies positively and promised to participate in the events of this Community.

The two-year Presidency of the Community of Democracies, which brings together over 100 democratic countries, Lithuania took over the last year in July.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has officially confirmed her plans to visit Lithuania to attend the meeting of prime ministers of the Baltic Sea region states; Lithuania’s government said this on 12 April.   The meeting is scheduled for 1-2 June in Vilnius.

In the conformation letter Merkel stated that she is very interested in participating in such an event, which covers topics like sustainable economic development, competition and energy cooperation are paramount for the Baltic Sea region’s future.

The Lithuanian government also said that the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has also received an invitation to attend the meeting, same as the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.  The Russians hinted that Putin’s attendance of the event is likely to depend on the level of participants.

Minister A.Ažubalis positively evaluated the well-balanced statement of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, which stresses that the organization is ready to offer a unique platform for engaging in a political dialogue in order to resolve the crisis.

“Sides of the political conflict must take into account this offer,” Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office announced that he dispatched Deputy Speaker of the Majilis (lower house of Parliament) of Kazakhstan Zhanybek Karibzhanov as his Special Envoy to Kyrgyzstan along with Herbert Salber, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre.

K.Saudabayev and Minister A.Ažubalis also discussed the forthcoming informal OSCE foreign ministers meeting in Almaty in mid-July.  The Foreign Ministers agreed to continue informing each other on the issues that are important for the OSCE Troika.

Kazakhstan’s OSCE Chairmanship this year, Lithuania’s forthcoming Chairmanship the next year, and the Greek Chairmanship of the organisation in 2009 belong to the OSCE Troika. Lithuania is constantly in touch with Kazakhstan’s OSCE Chairmanship, the Office of the Secretary General of the OSCE and the OSCE mission in Bishkek, and is actively aspiring for an effective assistance of international organizations in solving the conflict.

With the aim to return parties in political conflict onto the path of dialogue as soon as possible, Lithuania joined the invitation of EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton for all parties in conflict to refrain from the use of force, to stay loyal to democracy and to respect the laws of Kyrgyzstan. The arrests of opposition leaders have only led to an outbreak of violence.

Lithuania speaks up for discussing in detail the situation in Kyrgyzstan within the OSCE and the EU.

Press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs