Ingā Ruginienė: We assessed potential for developing Lithuania–Azerbaijan relations – EXCLUSIVE

Lithuania and Azerbaijan have significant potential to expand cooperation across a wide range of sectors, from energy and agriculture to defense and education, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingā Ruginienė said.

In an interview with Report, Ruginienė said she held substantive discussions during meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Ali Asadov.

"Yesterday was quite an intense day: we had serious discussions during meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Ali Asadov. Today I have a scheduled meeting with Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. I am glad that during yesterday's meetings we found many common points and saw opportunities to develop cooperation in various fields – from defense to education. We also discussed opportunities to strengthen the agricultural sector and energy," she said.

The prime minister added that Azerbaijan is making significant efforts to ensure reliable energy supplies to Europe.

Ruginienė also expressed hope that cooperation between Baku and Vilnius will continue to grow, delivering concrete and meaningful results for both countries.

Referring to one of the mechanisms supporting bilateral cooperation, she highlighted the intergovernmental commission (IGC).

"We agreed [with the Azerbaijani side] that upon returning home I will instruct ministers in Lithuania to establish bilateral contacts with their counterparts here. They need to do their ‘homework": meet, exchange experience, discuss how they can support each other and in which areas cooperation can be developed. After that, we can talk about a meeting of government delegations," she added.

Ingā Ruginienė stressed that this was not her first visit to Azerbaijan, but her first as Lithuania"s prime minister.

"This is my first visit to Azerbaijan as prime minister. And it is my first visit outside the EU in this capacity. I have been to Baku before, so I am very happy to return and see smiling, open people. I remember my previous visits to Baku and the warm feelings I took home with me. And now I can say that Baku has not changed – people are still open, smiling and very warm," she said.