|
On 2 September at Jurmala, on the initiative of Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins, an informal meeting of the three Baltic state foreign ministers took place, with participation of the Foreign Minister of Estonia, Urmas Paet, and the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, Pietras Vaitekunas.
The ministers reviewed the results of the European Council's extraordinary session of 1 September, including the opportunities for the European Union to provide assistance in the renewal process of the Georgian state. The ministers were unanimous that the EU and Georgia should reinforce their relations, for example, through the alleviation of travel requirements to EU for Georgian citizens.
In the course of their discussion, the ministers examined the prospect for future relations between the European Union and Russia, including the European Council's decision to postpone negotiations with the Russian Federation on the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement. The ministers expect that the visit to Moscow on 8 September by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France will yield positive results. "We expect Russia to listen to the insistent call from the EU and will fully implement its commitments foreseen by the six-point agreement on ceasefire" the Latvian Foreign Minister noted.
During the meeting, the ministers also debated the position of the Baltic states in relation to the upcoming NATO foreign ministers' meeting in December in which the granting of NATO Membership Action Plans to Georgia and Ukraine will be one of the key issues for discussion.
This meeting of the Baltic foreign ministers took place prior to the informal meeting of the European Union foreign ministers in Avignon, France, on 5-6 September, as well as ahead of the meeting of the Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers in Parnu, Estonia, on 8-9 September, thus providing an opportunity to exchange opinions regarding topical issues on the foreign policy agenda.
(end of text)
|
