The meeting also focused on illegal migration issues. President Nausėda highlighted the fact that the opening of the illegal migration route by the Belarusian regime put Lithuania under unprecedented migratory pressure and the situation demanded enhanced monitoring and control of the external Eastern border of the EU.
“We witness how the Belarusian regime uses migration as a tool of political manipulation. In this context, the role and assistance of the EU institutions is paramount for Lithuania to manage illegal migration flows and strengthen the protection of the EU’s external border. We therefore expect the EU institutions to provide all necessary support, both in enhancing border protection with Belarus and in dealing with countries of origin of illegal migration,” Gitanas Nausėda said.
President Nausėda drew attention of the President of the European Council to yet another threat posed by Belarus that was looming large at the Lithuanian border – the unsafe nuclear power plant in Ostrovets.
“As we have agreed at the European Council, the EU must address the issue of curbing the supply of electricity produced by unsafe nuclear power plants into the internal market of the EU. The European Commission, together with the Government of Lithuania, must urgently find solutions to ensure reliable functioning of the internal electricity market of the EU,” Gitanas Nausėda said.
At the meeting, the President of Lithuania highlighted the importance of supporting the European integration aspirations of the Eastern Partnership countries through promotion of democratic reforms in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and supporting civil society in Belarus.
President Nausėda stressed that the mobilisation and solidarity of the European Union (EU) helped ensure a smooth supply of vaccines, and that now we needed to step up our efforts in raising public awareness.
During the bilateral meeting, the President of Lithuania and the President of the European Council also talked about relations with Russia, China, the U.S., and discussed policy matters, related to EU’s internal market, competitiveness, and innovation.
