TRANSPARENCY AND COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL REQUIREMENTS ARE KEY PRINCIPLES IN ENERGY POLICY, LITHUANIAN FOREIGN VICE-MINISTER SAYS DURING THE VISIT TO WASHINGTON, D.C.
On 24-25 May in Washington, D.C., the delegation headed by Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Egidijus Meilūnas continued discussions on the compliance with international requirements and transparency when developing new nuclear projects in Lithuania’s neighbourhood.
The Vice-Minister acquainted heads and analysts from an influential think tank in the U.S. “The Heritage Foundation” with basic differences between the Visaginas nuclear power plant that is being developed in Lithuania and Russia’s planned nuclear power plants in Belarus and the Kaliningrad region.
“Lithuania complies with all the international requirements when developing its own nuclear power plant in Visaginas. It is recognized and approved by international organizations. Transparency and security are among the key principles on which Lithuania’s project has been initiated. We hope that these principles will also be complied with in Belarus and Kaliningrad. It is regrettable that so far neither we nor international nuclear security experts have been able to confirm that,” head of the Lithuanian diplomacy said during the discussion with the U.S. analysts.
Russia’s intentions to construct nuclear power plants in the Kaliningrad region and Belarus, as well as the rising concerns about their safety were also discussed by the Lithuanian official at the meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama’s Chief Advisor, Senior Director for Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism and Threat Reduction Laura Holgate.
Vice-Minister E.Meilūnas also met with Mary Landrieu, one of the most influential U.S. senators from Louisiana and a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
During the conversation, the representative of Lithuania thanked the U.S. Senator for her immense efforts that allowed the U.S. company Cherniere Energy gain export license for U.S. LNG (Liquefied natural gas). This is the first time that such export license has received approval in the past 40 years.
“I am glad that I could contribute to this important project, which, I believe, will be useful for all the participants,” the U.S. Senator said.
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