Energy, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania, Railways, Transport

Edgars Rinkevics and Audronius Azubalis. Vilnius, 4.11.2011. Photo: urm.lt

The meeting focused on the EU issues, including the euro-zone crisis, preparation for negotiations on the EU financial perspective (2014-2020), as well as the EU's security policy issues. The Ministers discussed the railroad project Rail Baltica, which is being implemented by the three Baltic States along with Poland and which will eliminate the continuing isolation of Lithuania and other Baltic States with regard to the absence of transport infrastructure connections with other European Union countries that would meet European standards.

"For this reason, Rail Baltica is a priority for Lithuania, and, I dare say, for all Europe," Azubalis said at the meeting. The Minister invited his Latvian counterpart to closely cooperate in the implementation of this ambitious project.

Both Ministers emphasized that it was import to continue the NATO air police mission in the Baltic States and stressed their intentions to make joint effort seeking NATO's extension of this mission for an indefinite period.

Azubalis and Rinkevics discussed entry into force of an agreement concerning the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone and the delimitation of the continental shelf in the Baltic Sea. The Ministers agreed that it was necessary to intensify the dialogue on the entry into force of the agreement. Specialists will continue to work on the implementation of the maritime boundary agreement. Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs also presented coordination priorities of cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries (the Nordic-Baltic 8) for the next year. The priorities are oriented towards a closer cooperation with the Nordic Council of Ministers, the creation of common regional information space and economic cooperation. Lithuania will take over the NB8 coordinator's role from Finland in 2012.

Lithuania and Latvia dedicate special attention to the Nordic-Baltic cooperation. In 2010, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Latvia Valdis Birkavs and former Minister of Defense of Denmark Søren Gade presented their Wise Men's report on the Baltic and Nordic Co-operation (NB8), which provides cooperation guidelines to the countries that aim for economic and political cohesion in the region.

Latvia's Foreign Minister invited head of the Lithuanian diplomacy to pay an official visit to Latvia in the spring of 2012.

During his first working visit to Lithuania, Rinkevics also met with President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite and Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius.

Before his appointment as Foreign Minister, Edgars Rinkevics, 38, was Head of the Office of former Latvian President Valdis Zatlers.