Nordic, Baltic, Eastern countries\' representatives discuss Lithuania\'s EU presidency

VILNIUS - The traditional meeting of directors responsible for the Eastern neighborhood from Foreign Ministries of Nordic and Baltic States and the United Kingdom took place on May 31-June 1 in Vilnius. The meeting focused on EU relations with Russia, the development of the Eastern Partnership and Lithuania’s preparation to hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

At the initiative of Lithuania, also representatives from the EU Eastern Partnership countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine - were invited to participate in the meeting. They introduced their approach to the development of the EU Eastern Partnership and relations with the European Union.

Director of the Eastern Neighborhood Policy Department of Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Marijus Gudynas opened the event.

According to him, the EU Eastern Partnership will be one of the key priorities of Lithuania’s Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2013. Among other priority areas there are: the strengthening of energy security, effective implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and effective protection of EU external borders.

According to Gudynas, such meetings are important when planning specific objectives for Lithuania’s EU Presidency and shaping the agenda of the EU Eastern Partnership Summit, which is due in the autumn of 2013.