Lithuanian and Swedish foreign ministers discuss economic partnership and joint initiatives

Margot Wallstrom
Nuotr. iš asmeninio albumo

“Political and economic relations between Lithuania and Sweden continue to strengthen, there is a growing number of common initiatives and projects,” said Linkevičius after the meeting on 7 October in Vilnius. Lithuania’s foreign minister noted that the Nordbalt power interconnection project with Sweden would be launched in 2015, which would allow not only to reduce dependence on Russian energy sources, but would enhance competitiveness and create favourable conditions for consumers.

The foreign ministers expressed support for Ukraine, its territorial integrity and decided to pay a joint visit to Ukraine this November. Linkevičius stressed that the sanctions policy towards Russia must be extended and further directly linked to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. At the same time, there must be a principled assessment of such Russian actions, as the annexation of Crimea, the illegal detention of Ukrainian citizens, an objective investigation into the tragedy of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet and other aspects of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Linkevičius underscored that Lithuania demonstrated solidarity in the face of a refugee crisis. “Sweden has gained a wealth of experience in the field of integration of refugees into its society and, therefore, its expertise is very important to us,” said the Lithuanian foreign minister.

The Swedish foreign minister thanked Lithuania for its constructive position on Europe’s refugee crisis.

The Lithuanian and Swedish foreign ministers agreed that Russian propaganda was a common problem, so the countries had to coordinate actions and cooperate in the field of strategic communication.

Linkevičius condemned Russia’s actions in Syria, “which do not contribute to the solution of the problem, only escalate the conflict”.

Wallstrom came to Lithuania as part of the delegation of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia, who are paying a state visit to the country on 7-8 October. This is her second visit to Lithuania after the appointment as the minister for foreign affairs of Sweden in autumn 2014.

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