JERUSALEM, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed on Thursday for Lithuania, where he will attend the summit of Baltic states.

"I would like to balance the European Union's unfriendly stance toward the State of Israel to achieve a more fair and sincere relationship," Netanyahu said before he boarded the plane, according to a statement released on his behalf.

"I'm doing so through cooperating with groups of countries within EU, Eastern Europe and now with the Baltic countries and of course, with other countries," he said.

The four-day trip marks the first official visit of an Israeli prime minister in Lithuania.

The leaders "will discuss the deepening of cooperation between their countries," the prime minister's office said.

Netanyahu's government has been working on strengthening ties with countries in Latin America, Africa and countries that are not in line with EU policy, which criticize the Israeli control over the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip.