Lithuania hopes for improvement of EU-Belarus relations

VILNIUS, 17 September (BelTA) – Lithuania hopes that during its presidency of the Council of Ministers of the European Union the EU and Belarus will reach a qualitatively new stage in the relations, said Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Andrius Krivas, BelTA has learnt.

Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs voiced its position following the annual seminar conducted by the Nordic Council and the Baltic Assembly highlighting a parliamentary dialogue between Belarus, the Nordic Council and the Baltic Assembly.

Lithuania hopes that during its presidency in the Council of the European Union Belarus will make the best use from its participation in the Eastern Partnership initiative. The results of the autumn Vilnius Eastern Partnership summit will testify to a qualitatively new stage in the relations between the European Union and Belarus.

Lithuania presides in the Council of Ministers of the European Union in the second half of 2013. The EU Eastern Partnership Summit will be hosted by Vilnius in November. Alongside with Belarus, partaking in the Eastern Partnership program is Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.