K. Budrys Meets with Estonian Foreign Minister in Tallinn
On April 29, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys met with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna in Tallinn. The ministers discussed bilateral cooperation in the areas of the economy, security, infrastructure, and European Union (EU) policy, with the aim of increasing the region’s resilience and competitiveness and ensuring a unified response to current geopolitical challenges.
During the meeting, the minister emphasized that Lithuania views the growing interest of Estonian businesses in Lithuania’s innovation ecosystem positively. According to the minister, since 2020, Estonian venture capital funds and business angels have invested in Lithuanian startups on 76 occasions, which demonstrates growing confidence in Lithuania’s business environment.
“We are pleased that Estonian investors view Lithuania as an attractive, innovation-friendly country. We believe that this cooperation will expand even further,” the minister stated.
- Budrys emphasized that Lithuania is firmly committed to strengthening the development and implementation of economic security policy within the EU. According to the minister, Lithuania actively supports the establishment of an EU Council working group on economic security, which is planned to be launched during Lithuania’s presidency.
“Economic security is becoming a cornerstone of the EU’s resilience. We appreciate Estonia’s decision to support the establishment of the working group and look forward to continuing to work closely with like-minded partners,” the minister said.
- Budrys and M. Tsahkna discussed opportunities to accelerate the implementation of strategic projects such as “Rail Baltica” and “Harmony Link.” The ministers also discussed the Baltic states’ goal of completely ending any remaining dependence on Russia’s rail network and fully integrating into the European rail system.
“We must act in a coordinated manner—both by mobilizing EU financial instruments and by creating a harmonized system for transitioning to a railway operating model that complies with EU standards,” the minister stated.
At the meeting, the ministers of Lithuania and Estonia also discussed support for Ukraine and measures to put pressure on Russia, the aggressor.
“We must act together to achieve peace in Europe—by supporting Ukraine and continuing to put pressure on Russia. It is important to limit Russia’s revenue from oil trade—at present, this is the only measure that has a real impact. We must also consider additional measures targeting Russia’s broader energy supply chain, including restrictions on financial institutions’ participation in energy-related transactions,” said K. Budrys.
Lithuania’s foreign minister stated that it is essential to take advantage of the current geopolitical moment and launch the formal process of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, opening all six negotiation clusters.
