"I see that with such measures Russia is destroying its own economy," Grybauskaite declared.

Meanwhile, Butkevicius said that the Government will help Lithuanian businessmen find new markets and not be dependant on lucrative and yet unpredictable Russian market.

"We are planning to allocate a considerable amount of money to help businesses find new markets. However, this does not mean that losses will be compensated. This is the so called soft money which may be used to look for new markets or partners," stated the prime minister.

As reported, Russia has imposed a ban on import of pork from Lithuania and Poland. It is estimated that Lithuanian companies will loose approximately LTL 14 million (EUR 4 million) per month because of this move. At the meantime Lithuania is looking for new countries for the realization of its production. The prime minister said it is being negotiated with the United States, China, Moldova, the Nordic and some African countries.

www.baltic-course.com