Lithuanian Parliament Committee chairman: We look forward to Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Vilnius

“We look forward to the visit of President Ilham Aliyev in Vilnius,” Kazys Starkevičius, chairman of the Economy Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament, told the Lithuanian bureau of Report.

Commenting on the visit of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to Vilnius on May 8, the deputy drew attention to the issues under discussion for the first time: “On 8th of May, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis welcomed in Vilnius the official intergovernmental delegation from Azerbaijan, headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov. The ministers noted that political dialogue between our countries has intensified significantly over the last couple of years. The ministers co-chaired the 7th meeting of the Lithuanian-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation, which was held in an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual understanding. Both sides reconfirmed a clear interest to continue expanding cooperation in practical realm.”

“The sides noted the unexploited opportunities in the field of trade and investment between Azerbaijan and Lithuania and the need to further exchange information on investment projects and on organization of trade missions, which would intensify contacts between enterprises of both countries. In 2022, the trade turnover between Lithuania and Azerbaijan grew by 19% and reached almost 61 million euros,” he added.

“Regarding Azerbaijan’s relations with the EU, the Lithuanian side expressed hope that negotiations on new EU-Azerbaijan agreement are concluded soon. The agreement remains a political priority and could play a key role in supporting the efforts of the Azerbaijani government to diversify the economy. While the EU appreciates Azerbaijan’s role in diversifying energy supplies to Europe, it also emphasizes that rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are at the core of the EU relations with Azerbaijan,” he said.