Lithuanian foreign minister calls on catching every possibility to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union
Euro.lt
On 10 October at the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis called on catching every possibility to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union and to complete the negotiations for an Association Agreement already this year.
At the meeting, the EU foreign ministers discussed the negotiations for an Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine, and the latest democratic developments in Ukraine, including the decision that the court was expected to rule on the case of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
A.Ažubalis stressed that such examples of selective application of justice like the case of Y.Tymoshenko raised concern, and Kyiv had to see this reaction of Europe very clearly.
However, the Minster stressed that there could be no better link between Ukraine, Europe and its values than the future Association Agreement.
“Ukraine chooses its own path, but it is not less important that we also do this. Do we want to change the situation in Ukraine, or have a strategic interest of the rapprochement of Ukraine? If we miss this opportunity, it will be harmful not only for Ukraine, but also for the European Union, not to mention the entire region of the Eastern Partnership,” said A.Ažubalis.
The Ministers also discussed the situation in Belarus and held consultations on the EU sanctions against Belarusian officials on account of the crackdown on civil society and political repression of the democratic opposition. The Ministers decided to prolong the restrictive measures that were introduced until the 31st of October 2011.
Lithuania supported adding responsible persons to the list of officials targeted by sanctions for continuing breaches of fundamental human rights.
At the meeting, A.Ažubalis stressed the ongoing repressions in Belarus, also the persecution of a human rights defender Ales Beliatski. The Minister called on reiterating that the EU would resume a dialogue with Belarus only after the release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, thus closing the door on the harassment of political activists.
At the same time, the Minister said that the European Union should “widely spread the message that it was ready to open up for simple Belarusian people and that the Government of Belarus hesitated whether to begin talks on visa facilitation and readmission agreements”.
A.Ažubalis said that the EU had demonstrated its good will to the people of Belarus by suggesting for Belarus to conclude certain agreements. “The EU has made such a proposal, but we have not received any formal response from Belarus so far”, said the head of the Lithuanian diplomacy.
The EU Ministers also discussed the situation in the Middle East and in the EU’s Southern neighbourhood: Tunisia, Libya and Syria.
A.Ažubalis noted that Lithuania, as the Chair of the OSCE, aimed to ensure political OSCE support for democratization processes in the Mediterranean and in the region’s south, and had already proposed for the region’s partner countries to share experience in the areas of building democratic institutions and organizing elections.
12-10-2011
