The Presidents of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - Alar Karis, Edgars Rinkēvičs, and Gitanas Nauseda - have issued a joint statement on the 20th anniversary of the Baltic countries' accession to the European Union. They have urged for the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova in June of this year, citing the President of Estonia.
The presidents of the Baltic countries emphasized the importance of the EU for the security of their nations. According to them, the Baltic countries have made a strong contribution to European and transatlantic security, particularly given their geographical proximity to Russia - the most immediate threat to European and global security.
They said that the 20th anniversary of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania's EU membership comes at a time when Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine serves as a reminder that peace in Europe should not be taken for granted.
The Presidents affirmed that "Ukraine is defending our democratic values today," and pledged to continue supporting Ukraine and defending the rules-based international order.
"In the 1990s, the democratic choice was put to the test in the Baltic countries. Today, Ukrainians, Moldovans, and Georgians are fighting for European values and the European family as their ultimate choice. We firmly stand with those countries that share European values and aspire to be together," they said.
The Presidents of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania called on the EU to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova in June of this year.
"The Baltic countries are a wonderful testament to how EU membership stimulates impressive modernization and economic progress. This is our reality that we want to share," the joint statement of the heads of state reads.
Ukraine's EU accession
In December 2023, at the EU summit in Brussels, the leaders of EU countries gave the green light to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the bloc. Since then, a lot of work has been done, but formal negotiations have not yet begun.
In particular, EU experts are assessing the compliance of Ukrainian laws and norms with European standards. In March of this year, the European Commission approved a negotiation framework for Ukraine.
