For the European integration of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, which is an additional strategic objective of the community, according to the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda, the Western Balkan countries' integration into the European Union is very important, IPN reports, with reference to The Baltic Times.

The comment was made to the media in Slovenia, where the President of Lithuania took part in the informal meeting of the European Council, which took stock of the progress in the implementation of political and economic Euro-integration reforms by the Western Balkan countries in ensuring security and stability in the region.

"Today, I will certainly speak in favor of a clear plan for the Western Balkan countries on how they will seek membership, because the motivation of these countries to carry out the necessary reforms and to follow this path consistently depends on this, too," Gitanas Nauseda stated.

The Western Balkan countries' stability "and, most importantly, their resistance to the influence of China, Russia and other countries" is a very important security factor for the EU, because a vacuum in the bloc's interests "will be filled by other countries, and we hardly want this", according to the president.

"But I will always stress another point: the integration aspirations of other Eastern Partnership countries, which are no less important to us, will also depend on how successful they (the Western Balkans) are in implementing their EU integration policy," the President said.

"Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are also making great efforts to become members of the European Union one day or to get very close to the EU in every sense," he added.