On 28 August, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who is paying an official visit to Lithuania.
In the meeting, L. Linkevičius emphasized the importance of the Euro-Atlantic community solidarity:
"There is a need to pursue a coherent policy – maintain transatlantic unity and coordination, and provide strong support to Ukraine."
The Ministers of both countries expressed their unanimous opinion about the need to strengthen NATO's capabilities in order to ensure defense of NATO members and to strengthen its potential response to hybrid threats.
L. Linkevičius also emphasized Lithuania's support for the close Turkey-EU cooperation, which was based on mutual strategic interests and values. "Lithuania consistently supports Turkey’s deeper integration with the European Union, but we need to talk about human rights and freedom of the media in Turkey openly," said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.
In the meeting, the interlocutors welcomed the bilateral relationship between Lithuania and Turkey, and the growing economic cooperation. They also noted the importance of direct contacts between the people of Turkey and Lithuania – for a long time Turkey has been one of the most popular holiday destinations for Lithuanians. The countries are also enjoying active academic exchanges. More than a million Lithuanian citizens spent their holiday in this country; almost 4,000 Turkish students came to study in Lithuania over the last 11 years.
To further promote and protect bilateral investment, the Ministers signed the updated intergovernmental agreement on the encouragement and mutual protection of investments. Lithuania is the first among the EU countries to sign the updated agreement that complies with the OECD requirements. The new agreement aims to promote closer cooperation between Lithuanian and Turkish private businesses, as well as to increase foreign investment flows and competitiveness of enterprises.
The Turkish Foreign Minister conveyed congratulations on the celebration of the restoration of Lithuania’s independence in 2018 from his people and the Government.
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