Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Landsbergis in Riga: “A new European security architecture is being born in the Baltic Sea region”
At a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Baltic states and Poland in Riga on Tuesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis said that deeper cooperation among the countries was creating a new security architecture in the eastern flank.
“When the war in Ukraine is won, we will have to decide how we will defend Ukraine, help it to defend itself, and ensure that what happened on 24 February last year does not happen again. It is good that we can come together and discuss the practical aspects and the way forward. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have always had a sober attitude towards threats from the East and helping our friends. The strengthened cooperation, the environment we are creating, gives birth to the foundations of a new European security architecture,” Lithuania’s Foreign Minister said.
The Foreign Ministers of the Baltic states and Poland discussed regional security, items on NATO’s agenda, support for Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and Belarus, the fight against illegal migration, energy and other issues.
“We are like-minded countries on all these most pressing issues of our cooperation and are ready to continue our ongoing consultations in this format. Our most important task today is to continue to support Ukraine. We cannot succumb to fatigue. The sooner Ukraine receives the necessary ammunition, the quicker it will be able to achieve victory,” Landsbergis said.
According to Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius must make progress in providing practical support for Ukraine and developing the country’s political dialogue with NATO. “In the run-up to the Vilnius summit, we should discuss Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. The most reliable security guarantee for Ukraine is its European and Euro-Atlantic integration,” Landsbergis noted.
Landsbergis stressed that the region’s security would be enhanced by the eastern flank’s increased security and Finland and Sweden’s membership of the Alliance. According to the head of Lithuania’s diplomacy, the Baltic states and Poland must work together to promote the constant expansion of military support for Ukraine, which is fighting Russia’s aggression, and to unify procedures to avoid the circumvention of sanctions against Russia.
Following the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland - Gabrielius Landsbergis, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Urmas Reinsalu and Zbigniew Rau - signed a joint declaration on enhancing the cooperation in the region.
The text of the Declaration is here.
Photos: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Latvia
Social media