Turkey remains a reliable partner of NATO and is capable to balance its foreign policy in the region where the country is placed, visiting Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday.

Cavusoglu discussed Turkey's accession process to the European Union (EU) as well as regional and international issues during meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart Linas Linkevicius.

Linkevicius emphasized Lithuania's support for the close Turkey-EU cooperation, which was based on mutual strategic interests and values.

"Lithuania consistently supports Turkey's deeper integration with the European Union, but we need to talk about human rights and freedom of the media in Turkey openly," said Linkevicius.

Relations between Turkey and the EU deteriorated after failed Ankara coup attempt in July 2016.

"Unfortunately, our friends in the EU did not want to understand what we were facing that night and afterwards," Cavusoglu said in Vilnius.

The Turkish foreign minister was also received in Vilnius by President Dalia Grybauskaite.

"In the face of geopolitical security and economic challenges, Europe cannot turn away from Turkey encountering financial difficulties. It is necessary to search for solutions to assist Turkey that makes a strategic contribution in curbing terrorism and migration threats posed to Europe," Grybauskaite was quoted as saying in a statement released by her office.

Turkey is a reliable member of NATO and plays a crucial role in ensuring collective defense of the entire Alliance, said the president, noting that it was very important for the two Allies -- the U.S. and Turkey -- to find ways to ease mutual tension.

"Lithuania consistently supports EU-Turkey dialogue. Turkey needs Europe and Europe needs Turkey in trade, security, migration and other areas," Grybauskaite said.