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Thursday, 28.03.2024, 09:54
Latvian MFA: EU must continue active implementation of Eastern Partnership initiative
This is crucial, he said, since the situation has changed from the time that this policy was established, and at present, eastern partners themselves have a better understanding of what they need and their own interests in cooperating with the European Union.
Rinkevics also presented the view that, following the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga it is important to maintain the unified framework of the Eastern Partnership. Three Eastern Partnership countries – Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – have already signed association agreements with the EU, and this is resulting in closer cooperation. Implementation of the Association Agreements is already providing advantages and will continue to provide advantages to eastern partners both economically, and in the area of administrative reform.
Rinkevics emphasized that eastern partner countries should strengthen good governance in the public sector and facilitate economic and regional cooperation and that will help in moving closer to the European Union.
The foreign minister pointed out to the introduction of the mobility program as a good model. During the Riga Summit, progress in the area of mobility was achieved, he said. The non-visa regime is already working with Moldova. Visa liberalization with Georgia and Ukraine will take place so long as their governments fulfil the remaining recommendations related to the action plan on visa liberalization. Belarus is also working on a easing the visa regime for travel with the EU. We will continue work on this with all partners, the minister said, but this is something which is in the hands of the Eastern Partnership countries themselves.
The discussions sessions was organized by the Baltic–Black Sea Alliance, the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO), the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in support of a summer school which is taking place for the first time – the Summer Program for undergraduates from Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine.