On 8 July 2020, an informal seminar of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Lithuania took place at the Ilzenberg Manor in Rokiškis District, Lithuania. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, had a bilateral conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Linas Linkevičius. Senior officials from both foreign ministries discussed current issues and topics related to security, the European Union and regional cooperation.
The Foreign Ministers made note of the successful cooperation between Latvia and Lithuania during the COVID-19 crisis. They agreed that to deal with the consequences of the crisis, it is vital to continue cooperating both bilaterally and amongst the Baltic States.
At the seminar, officials from the Foreign Ministries of the two countries shared views on NATO and the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, the Eastern Partnership and China, as well as regional economic cooperation after the COVID-19 crisis. The discussions underlined the fact that economic recovery will depend largely on cooperation in the EU’s Single Market and on digital and climate-related issues. Lithuania also presented its priorities for the presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
The informal seminar of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs is being held for the fourth time. The event is hosted on a rotational basis.