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/Unofficial translation/ In a comment to the news agency BNS on French President Jacques Chirac’s statement concerning introduction of transit visas for inhabitants of the Kaliningrad Region, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania Evaldas Ignatavičius noted that “at the moment, leaders and politicians of various countries voice a lot of opinions over the debate on the Kaliningrad Region, yet issues related to the future of this Region are determined by existing regulations and commitments and will be addressed not by means of statements, but rather by way of negotiations. Such negotiations between the EU and Russia are presently underway. We have declared on various occasions that Lithuania has closed negotiations with the EU on the issues of visa policy and has pledged to adhere to the EU rules. We also stressed that Lithuania would not undertake additional commitments that could prevent us from joining the Schengen Area as soon as possible. We hope that EU and Russian representatives will succeed in finding solutions in accordance with the interests of all parties involved including Lithuania and Poland as future members of the EU. Lithuania is ready to participate actively in seeking solutions which would help maintain and develop the currently successful cooperation between Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Region”.