Azerbaijan, Baku, April 8 / Trend , E.Ostapenko/
Azerbaijan plays a decisive role as a bridge between Europe and Central Asia, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Ušackas told journalists in Baku on April 8.
"The European Union (EU) is interested in constructing many pipelines and we hope it will serve interests of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan which are interested in diversifying energy deliveries," Ušackas said. "And Azerbaijan plays a decisive role as a bridge between Europe and Central Asia."
The foreign minister said that the EU Eastern Partnership Program testifies that the EU is ready to advance cooperation with neighbor countries, including from Belarus to Azerbaijan in line with four platforms. The EU summit will officially lay bases of cooperation in free trade and simplifying visa regime in Prague on May 7. It will favor closer cooperation in energy field where Azerbaijan is an important country, the Lithuanian foreign minister said.
Eastern Partnership has been initiated by Poland and Sweden as a part of the neighborhood policy which aims to improve EU relations with the post Soviet countries. Eastern Partnership will cover six EU neighbor states - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. The EU will allocate €600 million for neighbor states in 2009-2013.
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister is in Baku with an official visit. The minister met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov during the visit. The meetings focused on perspectives of the two countries' cooperation.
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