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At the conference „Baltic Future: 2030. Old Threats and New Challenges for Societies and Countries”, Lithuania‘s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas called for the expansion of the parliamentary cooperation among the countries of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea with the aim of contributing to a better preparation of the European Union aspirants for their integration to the EU.

As the Minister noted at the conference of the Baltic Assembly on 18 September, the experience of the Baltic States in harmonizing the national law with the EU law and implementing it has important value for the countries of the Black Sea region: the EU candidate Turkey and the countries aspiring for the EU membership Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia.

“Acting jointly through the Baltic Assembly, the three states would receive more attention and would gain more weight as well as more solid influence to the EU aspirations of Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova”, Minister V.Ušackas said.

According to the Minister, the relations of the Baltic Assembly with these countries could be used to exchange the experience of EU negotiations and to guarantee the parliamentary control of the projects that are implemented in Europe and are related to the energy security and diversification of energy supply.

The Minister also noted the perspectives that the new EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region opens for the cooperation in the Baltic Sea region and for the involvement of neighbouring regions of Russia and Belarus.

“Together with the Eastern Partnership Initiative, this strategy is a unique instrument for the implementation of real and deep integration of the region, which would create a brand new quality of the Baltic region”, Minister V.Ušackas said.

At the conference in Vilnius on 17-18 September, representatives of other international parliamentary organizations and diplomats discuss new security threats in the Baltic Sea region, the cooperation of the Baltic States and Nordic countries in fighting them. The priorities and perspectives of the Baltic Assembly, which is chaired by Lithuania this year, are also on the agenda of the conference.