VILNIUS, March 24 (Xinhua) -- The European Union will find ways to let Britain leave the bloc in a "peaceful and friendly way", Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said Friday before leaving for the EU summit in Rome.
"We will find ways how to divorce peacefully, friendly, and mutually beneficially. Britain will remain the EU's partner and will never become an enemy," Grybauskaite was quoted as saying by local media.
Grybauskaite will participate in events marking the 60th anniversary of the European Union.
"EU member states have demonstrated time and again that working together can overcome the toughest challenges," she added, calling for a "strong political will" in order to renew the EU and develop into a stronger community.
The president said that EU membership provided Lithuania with a "powerful engine of economic progress".
According to the presidency's statement, Lithuania's GDP per capita now amounts to 75 percent of the EU average, compared to 46 percent in 2004, the year when the Baltic country joined the EU.
