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On May 6, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Audra Plepytė participated in a discussion titled “Europe Between New Forms of Power and Dominance: Geopolitical Agency in a Fragmenting World” at the international forum “Yerevan Dialogue” in Armenia.

Speaking about today’s geopolitical environment, which poses strategic challenges, the Deputy Minister emphasized that Europe must return to strengthening its defense capabilities while simultaneously being able to adapt rapidly to new realities, invest in advanced technologies and the targeted application of artificial intelligence, thereby maintaining its leadership.

Discussing the resilience of traditional security alliances, A. Plepytė emphasized: “NATO remains the cornerstone of collective security, but the alliance’s effectiveness depends on each member state’s efforts to strengthen national defense capabilities, using existing and newly developed EU instruments.”

Another path to strengthening the EU is expansion and opening up to new countries, which is a mutually beneficial process that strengthens the EU’s resilience, contributes to creating a safer environment, and at the same time opens up new opportunities for countries seeking membership while creating conditions for their sustainable development. In this context, A. Plepytė welcomed Armenia’s efforts to comprehensively deepen cooperation with the EU.

The discussion was also attended by Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan, and Jernej Pikalo, a professor at the University of Ljubljana and former Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia.

On the sidelines of the event, A. Plepytė also met with Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan, with whom she discussed current issues on the bilateral agenda.