Poland, Lithuania share views on regional, EU issues - minister

Poland and Lithuania share similar views on security, eastern policy, energy, infrastructure and the European agenda, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said after a meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart in Warsaw on Thursday. Warsaw and Vilnius want the EU's next budget to be "ambitious" and to prioritise the cohesion policy, which focuses on removing social and economic disparities across the EU, and the agricultural policy that benefits Polish and Lithuanian farmers, Czaputowicz said at a joint press conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius. Defence issues play an important role in bilateral relations, the Polish minister said, adding that Poland and Lithuania were ready to intensify cooperation between the two countries' defence industries. Referring to Russia, Czaputowicz said Poland and Lithuania supported the maintenance of EU sanctions imposed against Moscow after annexing Crimea from Ukraine and its involvement in the pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine.