Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, whose country is to take over the EU six-month rotating presidency in July, said this week Israel should take the issue of settlement products labeling seriously.
"If products grown or manufactured in Israeli settlements are not properly labeled as such, it could spark moves in some European countries to boycott all Israeli goods," he said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post during a visit in Israel.
“I know the mood in some countries is that if you don’t change the market practice, you could lead to a boycott of all Israeli] goods. You should take this into account,” he said.
He also said that the advancement of the EU-Israel dialogue depends directly on progress in the Middle East peace process.
During a meeting with the visiting minister, Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin requested the assistance of Lithuania regarding Israel's participation in European Research and Development programs that could run into political obstacles.
Linkevicius said the EU fully backed US Secretary of State John Kerry’s current efforts to get Israel and the Palestinians resume peace talks.
Kerry arrived Thursday for a two-day visit in Israel.
The Lithuanian minister denied reports that Kerry had asked the EU to postpone moving forward on the settlement labeling issue to provide him with “more space” in efforts to bring Israel and the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table.
Recent press reports quoted “European diplomats and senior officials in Jerusalem” as saying that after US pressure the EU agreed to hold off on the move until the end of June.
Asked whether Kerry requested that the EU hold up on this issue, Linkevicius said “it was not discussed in the EU.” He said the issue may come up at a next meeting of EU Foreign Ministers.
Linkevicius, who is a former Lithuanian Defense Minister who has also served as his country’s envoy to NATO, said concern about the situation in Syria is the reason why NATO allies and EU countries want to see a Turkish-Israeli reconciliation.
“This relationship was strategically important for your country and the region,” he said, adding that both Jerusalem and Ankara should “apply more efforts” to bring about a reconciliation. “All of NATO would like to have a real improvement in your relationship.”
During his visit, the Lithuanian minister met also with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and Avigdor Lieberman, Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
During the meetiong with President Peres, Linas Linkevikius spoke of the deep and longstanding relations between the two countries and of the many Israeli's of Lithuanian origin including journalists, diplomats and public figures.
He assured Peres that Lithuania is a friend of Israel and, while not taking sides, will support Israel during the its EU presidency.
Later this year, Lithuania will commemorate 70 years since the liquidation of the Vilna ghetto.
Among the planned events will be the Fourth World Litvak Congress to bring together Jewish descendents of the so called “Litvak” lands, which include Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and northeastern Poland.
Linkevicius said that he was struck during his visit in Israel how many people he met were “Litvaks.”
“We have 700 years of common history,” he said. “Before WWII there were more than 200,000 Jews living in Lithuania. Unfortunately, almost all of them were killed, which is a tragedy not only for your nation but also for Lithuania. Because it was part of our face, part of our culture, heritage and history,” he said.