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inas Linkevicius met with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedjarov. Baku, 21.10.2014. Photo: urm.lt

Both parties agree that the EU-Azerbaijan Visa Facilitation and Readmission agreements entered into force on 1 September this year and are being successfully implemented.

"Simplified visa requirements, easier travel strengthen people-to-people contacts. It opens up new business opportunities, promotes international understanding, cultural and study exchanges, tourism. I am very pleased that about 200 Azerbaijani citizens are studying in Lithuanian institutions of higher education this year. The young people will gain experience to build bridges between people and to implement mutually beneficial business projects," said the head of Lithuania's diplomacy.

Minister Linkevicius noted that bilateral trade had increased by 40% over the eight-month period. The minister stressed that Lithuanian dairy products were well-known to Azerbaijani customers, and expressed hope that Lithuania's high-quality meat production would also reach the market of Azerbaijan successfully. The officials underlined the need to continue to look for new opportunities for economic cooperation in the areas of trade and investment.

They underlined the importance of the fourth meeting of the Lithuania-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation to be held on 22 October and of the Lithuania-Azerbaijan business forum for further promotion of bilateral cooperation. Lithuania's Foreign Minister identified such key areas as the food industry and information technology.

Azerbaijan was invited to use actively the Viking train project. The project that links the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea is an attractive opportunity to transport goods from Azerbaijan to Europe quickly, reliably and inexpensively.

The officials also discussed a possibility of cooperation in the field of energy. Linkevicius talked about the inauguration of the liquefied natural gas terminal in Lithuania. The officials highlighted the importance of Azerbaijan in ensuring the diversification of the EU's energy sources.