BNS: EU observers in Georgia to carry authority for operating in breakaway regions - Lithuanian foreign minister in Brussels
VILNIUS, Sep 15, BNS - The European Union (EU) - delegated observer mission in Georgia will carry authority to operate in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas rounded up EU's decision.Vaitiekunas applauds EU's clear and unambiguous stand regarding Georgia's territorial integrity, referring to the community's decision to have its observer mission's mandate encompass all of Georgian territory, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia, he said after the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) session in Brussels Monday.The Lithuanian foreign minister also stood by EU's determination to implement, ASAP, decisions passed in the European Council regarding the Donor's Conference due in Oct., facilitation of the visa regime and cultivation of more intensive cooperation with Georgia in the domain of trade, the Foreign Ministry said in a release.
Foreign Ministers of EU member states also discussed in the framework of this meeting EU's response to recent positive developments in Belarus, i.e. its move to release all political prisoners, invite, unconditionally, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers and
register almost all opposition parties willing to partake in upcoming parliamentary elections.
The EU must also make strategic decisions on enhancing relations with Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Belarus, said the minister.
Future European Council decisions should reflect the necessity to speed up Baltic States' integration into energy systems of the Nordic and Western countries, taking into consideration the situation after the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) closure, noted the Lithuanian foreign minister speaking on the issue of energy security.
