News

On 27 October in Vienna, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to International Organizations in Vienna, Ambassador Giedrius Puodžiūnas presented credentials to Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). During the conversation that followed the ceremony, Ambassador G.Puodžiūnas expressed satisfaction with the active cooperation between Lithuania and the agency, and thanked the agency for providing expert assistance to Lithuanian institutions.

Director General Y.Amano recalled his visit to Lithuania this summer and the round table discussion with the countries in the region on nuclear energy development issues. He also took interest in the progress of nuclear energy and energy infrastructure projects in Lithuania and in other countries of the region. Ambassador G.Puodžiūnas told the Director General about Lithuania’s progress in the implementation of the joint project of the Baltic States and Poland to construct the Visaginas Nuclear Power Plant. The Ambassador noted that the selection of a strategic investor was almost completed and talks with potential investors would soon follow.

Director General Y.Amano highlighted the fact that the ongoing decommissioning of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant was unique, because the RBMK-type reactors were being terminated for the first time ever. The experience that Lithuanian experts will accumulate during the decommissioning of the plant will be interesting and useful both to the international community and to the agency’s experts.

The Director General also took interest in Lithuania’s progress to carry out the interconnection projects with Poland and Sweden that were necessary to overcome the isolation of the country’s energy sector from the European Union’s energy systems.

Permanent Representative of Lithuania to International Organizations in Vienna G.Puodžiūnas is also the Ambassador of Lithuanian to Austria, Croatia, Slovakia and Liechtenstein.