Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, during his visit to Romania: it is essential to promote the greatest possible rapprochement of Eastern partners with the EU

Press release, 17 October 2017

On 15–17 October 2017, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, paid an official visit to Bucharest, Romania, where he met with the leadership of the Romanian Parliament and representatives of the Government. The Speaker of the Seimas met with Călin Popescu-Tǎriceanu, President of the Romanian Senate; Nicolae-Liviu Dragnea, President of the Chamber of Deputies; Grațiela Gavrilescu, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Environment; and Teodor-Viorel Meleșcanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The meetings focused on closer bilateral security and economic cooperation, cooperation between the European Union and Eastern Partnership countries, as well as top matters related to energy, security, politics, and economy.     

During his visit, Viktoras Pranckietis also opened the first Romanian-Lithuanian Business Forum where ten Lithuanian companies, which attended it, had an opportunity to establish closer contacts with Romanian businesses.

‘Romania is an important partner for Lithuania in the EU and NATO. We appreciate our political and economic relations with this country. Trade turnover between Lithuania and Romania was EUR 137 million in 2016. In our discussions with the Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, as well as representatives of the Government, we agreed that this was not the final point and that we had abundant opportunities to enhance trade between our countries. Lithuania and Romania also share the same understanding of the importance of the Eastern Partnership and the interest in promoting the greatest possible rapprochement of Eastern partners with the EU,’ said the Speaker of the Seimas.

Throughout his visit, Viktoras Pranckietis stressed, on numerous occasions, the issue of safety of the Astravyets Nuclear Power Plant in Belarus. He invited the leadership of Romania to join other EU Member States and unanimously demand for the compliance with all international nuclear safety and environmental standards.

On his visit to Romania, the Speaker of the Seimas was accompanied by Algirdas Sysas, Chair of the Seimas Committee on Social Affairs and Labour and Head of the Group for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with Romania; Virgilijus Poderys, Member of the Seimas Committees on European Affairs and on Economy; and Rūta Miliūtė, Member of the Seimas Committees on European and on Foreign Affairs.

Paulius Žeimys, Assistant to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6030, mob. +370 609 36 497, e-mail: p. [email protected]