German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday Dec. 7, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were meeting to discuss making a fresh start to relations with the United States under President-elect Joe Biden, the fallout from weekend elections in Venezuela and tense ties with Turkey. At talks in Brussels, EU foreign ministers said that Europe’s shared interests and historic ties with America make up “the world’s foremost and closest relationship,” and are a solid foundation for cooperating on economic, foreign policy and human rights challenges. “A strong trans-Atlantic partnership is vital to ensure and to contribute to our common security, stability and prosperity,” the ministers said in a statement. There is no replacement for trans-Atlantic relations,” Linkevicius said.

VILNIUS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius will spend a week in isolation after having been in contact with two infected people who were part of the French delegation during last week's visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, an official said Monday. Linkevicius was tested for COVID-19 and authorities said later that he had tested negative, according to Rasa Jakilaitiene, a spokeswoman for the minister. He will remain in self-isolation and will work from home for the rest of the week," Jakilaitiene told The Associated Press. Both were part of the delegation that took part in the Sept. 28-29 visit. Fisek confirmed that the diplomatic mission in the Lithuanian capital was temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 cases as of Sunday.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gestures as he addresses a women's forum in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said late Thursday that he was putting the army on high alert and closing the country’s borders with Lithuania and Poland. But the national Border Guard Service said all border checkpoints remained open, though it said controls and inspections have been strengthened. A spokeswoman for the Polish Border Guard, Agnieszka Golias, said traffic at Poland's border with Belarus was as busy as usual. This week, Russia has sent 300 paratroopers for joint military drills with Belarusian soldiers near Brest on the border with Poland.

Belarusian opposition supporters with old Belarusian national flags gather toward the Independence Palace, the residential of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020. Sunday's demonstration marked the beginning of the fifth week of daily protests calling for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's resignation in the wake of allegedly manipulated elections. A council member, Maxim Znak, said Kolesnikova's colleagues fear she was detained. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted that Kolesnikova's disappearance is part of the Belarusian authorities' effort to cynically eliminate one by one and called for her immediate release. Two of its members were given 10-day jail sentences on charges of staging unsanctioned protests last week.

Police in Belarus have dispersed protesters who gathered on the capital's central square, detaining dozens. Belarus authoritarian president of 26 years has faced weeks of protests since he was reelected to a sixth term on Aug. 9 with 80% of the vote. Asked whether the Belarus president will be hit by a travel ban and asset freeze, Petricek said he believes that Lukashenko should be on the list. Linkevicius said that we cannot exclude this invasion, and that the EU must also send a clear warning to Russia. For the country to move forward safely and as securely as possible will require mutual understanding and cooperation inside Belarus, Rama said.

(AP Photo/Sergei Grits)VILNIUS Lithuanias parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted for economic sanctions against the regime in neighboring Belarus, saying the presidential election there mustn't be internationally recognized. The document adopted by lawmakers also calls for the international rejection of the legitimacy of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko won his sixth term in office with 80% of the votes, according to official results of the Aug. 9 election. The opposition denounced the vote as rigged and hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets across Belarus in protest. Lukashenkos top challenger, former English teacher Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, got only 10% of the vote, according to official results.

"We don't recognize these results," Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher and political novice, told reporters Monday. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)MINSK The Lithuanian foreign minister says that the leading opposition candidate in Belarus' presidential election has fled her country and is now safe in Lithuania. She submitted her formal demand for a recount to Belarus' Central Election Commission Monday. Thousands of opposition supporters protested against the official vote results, facing a tough police crackdown in Minsk and several other Belarusian cities. Election officials said Lukashenko won a sixth term in office with 80% of the vote, while Tsikhanouskaya got 10%.