Laima Andrikienė: ‘Inter-parliamentary relations with Serbia are on the agenda of the Seimas’

Press Release, 4 March 2021

After her meeting with Žarko Obradović, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Laima Andrikienė, Member of the Seimas, noted that ‘after an eight-year break, representatives of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia had a meeting. True, for understandable reasons, it was held remotely.’

Office of the Seimas photo

‘It was a useful, friendly conversation, and a great opportunity to discuss the relevant issues of Serbia’s integration into the EU and relations between Belgrade and Pristina,’ the MP said.

Ms Andrikienė is Head of the Seimas Group for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with the Western Balkan Countries (Republic of Croatia, Republic of Albania, Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Republic of Kosovo) and Deputy Chair of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs.

At the meeting, Ms Andrikienė noted that relations with the Western Balkan countries were on Lithuania’s foreign policy agenda and received increasing focus. Above that, more intensive relations with the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia are expected in the realm of international relations.

Mr Obradović noted that Serbia occupied a strategically important place in Europe and one of the most important goals of the country was European Union accession: since the launch of the negotiations in late 2015, as many as 18 negotiating chapters had already been opened, two chapters had been provisionally closed and 35 chapter relating to Kosovo remained the biggest obstacle to the negotiations.

After the meeting, Ms Andrikienė noted that Members of the Seimas were planning to meet with members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Lithuania of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in the near future.