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At the roundtable discussion on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the restoration of the independence of Estonia on 20 August in Tallinn, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis invited the participants to honestly assess crimes of totalitarian regimes, stressed the importance of energy security in the region and called on the Nordic and Baltic states to cooperate even more actively.

According to A.Ažubalis, when assessing the actions of undemocratic regimes, Western democracies often apply double standards and treat crimes against humanity differently.

“Sometimes crimes of the totalitarian communist regimes in the 20th century are neglected and the persons involved in such crimes avoid the punishment,” the Minister said at the session called “From 1990 to 2030. How well do the lessons of the past 20 years equip us to face the challenges of the next 20?”

He stressed that events in Austria, related to the release of the suspect in the January 13th case Mikhail Golovatov showed that the European Union needed more unity and cohesion.

“Austria’s selective view to the applicability of legal acts of the European Union does not conform to the core principles of EU – equality of member states and loyal cooperation,” A.Ažubalis said.

The Minister believes that lack of understanding of our common past was among the reasons for this and that it was necessary to constantly raise and support initiatives aiming at informing and educating the public about Europe’s totalitarian past.   

Foreign Minister also stressed the need to gain energy independence and the newly emerging threats due to the non-compliance with international safety requirements at the nuclear power plants that are planned for construction in Lithuania’s neighborhood.

A.Ažubalis expressed concern about the incident in the Leningrad-2 nuclear power plant. The Leningrad-2 NPP is a prototype of the nuclear power plants that are planned to be constructed also in Lithuania’s neighborhood.

The Minister highlighted the importance of cooperation between the Baltic and Nordic states, and said that Lithuania and other Baltic states should be more oriented to the Nordic countries and that it could be an important driving force for progress in the Baltic countries.

“It should be a deliberate objective of our countries to have an integrated, prosperous, successful, politically and economically consolidated Nordic-Baltic region, consisting of five Nordic and three Baltic countries,” A.Ažubalis said.

At the discussion, the Minister acquainted his counterparts from the Nordic and Baltic countries with an outline of the joint statement of these countries, condemning the attempt of Belarus to make use of international agreements when persecuting members of opposition.

“Alexander Lukashenko is looking for new ways to shatter confidence of the democratic forces of Belarus and public in the EU and in democratic governance in general. We have to firmly confront every such attempt,” Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs said.

The roundtable discussion in Tallinn focuses on the development of the Baltic countries after the re-establishment of their independence, evaluates the experience gained during the period of independence and reviews future challenges. The event is also attended by the foreign ministers of Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Iceland and Finland: Urmas Paet, Carl Bildt, Lene Espersen, Girts Valdis Kristovskis, Ossur Skarphedinsson and Erkki Tuomioja.