Baltic and Benelux foreign ministers focus attention on EU co-operation with Eastern Partnership states

On 26 April, the meeting of Baltic and Benelux Foreign Ministers took place in the Castle of Vianden in Luxembourg. At this meeting the foreign ministers from Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands discussed current issues of the EU within the framework of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC). The major focus of attention was directed to the Eastern Partnership initiative of the EU, the EU – Russia dialogue, as well as questions related to NATO – Russia co-operation and prospects for the further expansion of the European Union.

In discussing the Eastern Partnership initiative, the ministers were unanimous that this new EU policy is a clear signal to the six partner states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) about the EU desire for co-operation,  but at the core of this achievement is the ability to apply the principle of differentiation – taking note of the differences between each individual state, not to mention the current level of political stability and status of reforms. The Baltic and Benelux state foreign ministers exchanged opinions on the actual situation in Moldova following the recent parliamentary elections and the visit to Chisinau on 24 April of the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, taking note also of the recent protest actions in Georgia and the political situation in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins noted that following his visit to Azerbaijan on 16 – 17 April as well as his exchanges on 22 April with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Sergey Martinov, the importance of an individual approach to each of these states is a necessity in addition to the need to define, together with the partnership states, the interests and possibilities for concrete co-operation projects within the framework of the Eastern Partnership.

During the meeting of Baltic and Benelux state foreign ministers, discussions took place with regard to the question of EU negotiations with the Russian Federation on a new partnership and co-operation treaty, including on preparations for the EU – Russia summit on 21 May, on the NATO – Russia dialogue, and on the Russian initiative on a new European security architecture – on which broader discussion is planned for the end of June at the foreign ministers meeting to be hosted by the OSCE presiding state of Greece.

The foreign ministers discussed the prospects for further EU expansion, including the question at today's GAERC meeting on the state of accession negotiations with Croatia.

This meeting of foreign ministers from Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and the Netherlands within the ( 3 + 3 ) format has now taken place for the third time, in continuation of a tradition commenced in Latvia in October 2007 on an exchange of opinions among the Baltic and Benelux states with regard to questions of multilateral co-operation in the context of international realities.

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