Landsbergis: EU Enlargement proven to be most effective way to expand peace and prosperity
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said that European integration is the most effective way to enlarge the territory of peace, stability, and prosperity in Europe, according to Digi24.ro.
Landsbergis made the comments during a speech at the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy in Bucharest on Tuesday. He said that the history of Lithuania and Romania shows that if these countries had not been afraid to move towards freedom, democracy, and rule-based order in the 1990s, the Soviet empire would still have controlled half of Europe.
"We need to make sure that Europe and the international community have enough will and deterrence to prevent further aggression and make the aggressor retreat," Landsbergis said. "Otherwise, Putin and others like him will have an advantage."
Landsbergis also encouraged the European course of Moldova and Ukraine, saying that the EU enlargement in 2004, 2007, and 2013 proved that European integration is the best way to achieve peace and prosperity in Europe.
"Once again we are faced with fears: that the EU, with its Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, could become unrecognisable and its institutions would not cope," Landsbergis said. "Similar fears stand in the way of Romania's accession to Schengen, where it fully belongs."
Landsbergis's comments come at a time when the European Union is facing a number of challenges, including the war in Ukraine, the ongoing refugee crisis, and the rise of populism and nationalism. However, Landsbergis argued that European integration is more important than ever in order to overcome these challenges and build a more peaceful and prosperous future for all Europeans.
