Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys in Yerevan: Lithuania Firmly Supports the European Choice of the Armenian People
During the meeting, the ministers signed a declaration on the strategic partnership between Lithuania and Armenia, which provides for deeper bilateral cooperation in political affairs, countering hybrid threats, strengthening democratic resilience, as well as in the fields of economy, high technology, energy, culture, education, people-to-people contacts, and other areas.
The head of Lithuanian diplomacy expressed the country’s strong support for Armenia’s aspiration to integrate into the European Union.
“Armenia is an inseparable part of European civilization. Lithuania firmly supports the Armenian people’s European choice. From our own experience, we know that European integration is a fundamental condition for security and economic prosperity. We want these and other benefits, which have been available to the people of Lithuania for more than two decades, to become accessible to the Armenian nation as soon as possible,” the Lithuanian foreign minister emphasized.
In the bilateral declaration on strategic partnership, Armenia also stressed that it would continue implementing reforms related to EU integration, while Lithuania reaffirmed its determination to provide comprehensive assistance by sharing its accumulated experience.
“Over the years, we have shared our experience and best practices in European integration reforms with Armenia, and we will continue to do so. Just a few days ago, Lithuanian experts began implementing another large-scale project that will help Armenia properly prepare for the opening of a visa-free regime with the EU as quickly as possible,” said K. Budrys.
The foreign ministers also discussed regional security issues and the normalization of Armenia’s relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Minister Kęstutis Budrys welcomed the initialing of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement and expressed hope that the agreement would be signed in the near future.
This year, Lithuania and Armenia mark the 35th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations.
Photo: Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
