News

On 11 November the fourth meeting of Lithuanian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for cooperation in trade and economic, scientific and technical, humanitarian and cultural spheres took place in Palanga.

Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antanas Valionis and Minister of Transport of Russian Federation Igor Levitin chaired the Commission. Lithuanian Minister of Transport and Communications Petras Čėsna as well as officials from both countries’ state institutions also took part in the meeting.

Assessing the work done since the meeting of the Lithuanian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission in April 2003, the Commission noted that agreements on the state border, the delimitation of economic zones and continental shelf of the Baltic Sea, capital and investment protection, facilitated railway transit documents, readmission and an agreement on the intersection of the Lithuanian, Russian and Polish state borders were ratified and came into effect over the period.

The Commission noticed that expanded legal base of Lithuanian-Russian cooperation laid a good foundation for the development of mutually beneficial good neighbourhood relations. The need to prepare as soon as possible an agreement on cooperation in combating organized crime was also stressed.

The parties stated they would seek to sign as soon as possible bilateral agreements for further development of economic and trade relations, cooperation on the state border, as well as in energy, environment protection, cultural and social spheres.

In discussion on the development of border infrastructure it was stated that the bilateral state border demarcation commission had been formed. The attention was paid to the need to stimulate coordinated modernization of border infrastructure, resolve the issue of navigation through the Curonian Gulf and Lithuanian and Kaliningrad region’s waterways.

In course of implementation of corresponding Lithuanian-Russian agreements, Lithuanian representatives proposed to open the international Nida-Rybačyj Lithuanian-Russian border crossing point as soon as possible. The Commission recommended to accelerate the preparation of agreements on building of Sovetsk and Panemune border crossing posts and other infrastructure objects.

The Intergovernmental Commission also discussed the implementation of project 2K, which aims at improvement of cooperation between Klaipeda and Kaliningrad seaports, and considered the progress and the prospects of implementing the international Lithuanian-Russian-Belarusian project – container train Merkurijus, that was launched in July.

In discussion of environment protection issues Lithuania drew attention to the need to meet the obligations of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee concerning the environmental safety of the Curonian Spit, with regard to the threats that the exploitation of Russian oil field D-6 poses. The issues concerning the building of hydroelectric power stations in the border zone were also touched upon.

The Commission discussed the issues of the return of Lithuania's cultural values and archives and the signing of Lithuanian-Russian agreement on cooperation in the area of pension funding. The corresponding institutions were laid under obligation to organize the meeting of experts working on the intergovernmental agreement on burial grounds of military and civil victims of war and repressions this year.

The Commission recommended signing of Lithuanian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on navigation through the Curonian Gulf and the waterways of Lithuania and the Kaliningrad region and Lithuanian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in marine and airborne search and rescue operations at the Baltic Sea by 1st January 2006.

It was agreed to organize next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission in Russian Federation in 2006.