News

The issues of bilateral Lithuanian-Russian cooperation and the implementation of the agreements reached during Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas’ visit to Moscow on 20-22 October were discussed during the political consultations between the Lithuanian and Russian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, which were led by Lithuanian Foreign Vice Minister Justas Vincas Paleckis and Russian Foreign Deputy Minister Vladimir Chizhov. During the consultations held on 17 December, the officials talked over the ratification of the economic treaties, the treaties on cooperation in the field of energy, the possibilities of paying back Russia’s debts to the Lithuanian enterprises and citizens, the environmental issues, especially the beginning of possible exploitation of the D-6 oil deposit in the Baltic Sea near the Curonian Spit, and the agreement on the railway transport project 2K. The officials also touched upon the issues of demarcating the Lithuanian-Russian state border, improving the frontier infrastructure in the Kaliningrad region and the issue of the Lithuanian school in Moscow. The members of consultations on the Lithuanian-Russian relations, held in the context of the European Union (EU) enlargement, underlined the success of the decision concerning the passengers’ transit to and from the Kaliningrad region through the territory of Lithuania and discussed the perspectives of Kaliningrad’s economic development in cooperation with the EU. The officials also exchanged opinions on the commercial and military transit and the feasibility study of the fast train. Issues related to possible re-negotiation of certain agreements with Russia in the light of Lithuania’s accession into the EU were discussed. The Russian officials evaluated positively Lithuania’s position to join the Adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe after its coming into effect. During the consultations, the officials underscored that the bilateral relations were sufficiently comprehensive and that a high-level meeting is planned for 2004.