“During its Presidency of the Council of the EU, Lithuania further seeks to speed up the process of Turkey’s integration into the EU and the EU accession negotiations. We are also very satisfied with the Lithuanian-Turkish defence cooperation that has continued since Lithuania’s accession to NATO,” said Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas and Chair of the Committee on European Affairs, at his meeting with Egemen Bağış, Turkey’s Minister for EU Affairs, on 11 September 2013.

Egemen Bağış thanked Lithuania for its efforts to support Turkey’s European ambitions. “Turkey supported Lithuania when it joined NATO. Therefore, we highly appreciate Lithuania’s continuous support for Turkey on its path towards EU membership,” he said and requested Lithuania to further act as mediator when the EU opens new negotiation chapters with Turkey during the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

“The European Union is the largest peace project in human history but it is very continental. Turkey’s membership of the EU would make it global. It is often said that Turkey is the most eastern part of the West and the most western part of the East. Therefore, Turkey’s membership of the EU would open up opportunities for the EU to increase its influence in the Middle East and in the world,” said Turkey’s Minister for EU Affairs.

At the meeting Egemen Bağış and Gediminas Kirkilas also focused on the situation in Syria and Egypt, stressing the importance of democratisation and democratic elections in these countries. Turkey is particularly interested in solving the Syrian conflict because it has the longest common border with Syria and sees huge Syrian refugee flows.

Morta Vidūnaitė, Adviser to Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6278, mob. +370 612 01121, e-mail: [email protected]