Netanyahu visits Baltic states to counter EU “not always friendly” attitude

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Lithuania on Thursday for a Baltic summit through which he said he hoped to deepen ties with eastern European nations to counterbalance the EU’s “not always friendly” relations with Israel, and achieve a fairer balance with the continent. He was the first Israeli prime minister to visit Lithuania, his first stop, and took the opportunity to thank Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis for his strong support of Israel in EU forums. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite, Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis and Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas. He will attend a commemoration ceremony at the memorial site of the Jews Massacre in Ponar, meet the Jewish community in the Choral Synagogue of Vilna, and pay his respects at the graveside of the legendary Sage of Vilna.