Lithuanian, Ukrainian presidents to expand cooperation

  • 2006-11-15
  • From wire reports
KIEV-VILNIUS - Two weeks before the upcoming NATO summit, Lithuanian and Ukrainian presidents Valdas Adamkus and Viktor Yushchenko signed a declaration in Kiev on developing cooperation between their two countries.

The document, which was signed by both presidents on Nov. 14, reflects the countries' desire to expand on bilateral, regional and European levels, while supporting Ukraine's integration into European-Atlantic structures and the World Trade Organization.
The declaration was signed following the Ukrainian-Lithuanian presidential council's debut meeting. The international body was established in 2002 to search for new opportunities for Ukrainian-Lithuanian bilateral cooperation, and to support Ukraine's goal to join European-Atlantic bodies.

The declaration states that the Ukrainian-Lithuanian partnership and the three-party cooperation among Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland is an important part of regional security and stability.
Lithuania pledged to continue supporting Ukraine's future integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, and agreed to deepen cooperation through an intensified dialogue, the modernization of Ukraine's defense and security sectors and the provision of information to Ukrainian society about NATO.
The two presidents also stated that certain agreements between Ukraine and the European Union, namely the simplification of visa procedures and the signing of a readmission treaty, would improve direct connections and enrich cooperation between EU member states and Ukraine.

Lithuanian and Ukrainian leaders promised to enhance trade and investment conditions, participate in joint energy projects, cooperate in the development of transport corridors between the Black and Baltic seas, and expand the geographic boundaries of container transportation in the direction of the Caspian Sea and Scandinavia. Adamkus and Yushchenko accentuated the importance of regional cooperation, including strengthening a community of democratic choice.
Ukraine's integration into European-Atlantic structures has been listed as one of Lithuania's foreign policy priorities.