“The Department’s leading role in developing energy dialogue between the Baltic states and the U.S. is very important to us. Such dialogue helps to effectively address key energy security issues in the region,” said Linkevičius.
The participants of the meeting also discussed issues related to the Ostrovets nuclear power plant (NPP).
“The Department of Energy is well-informed about the situation in Ostrovets. We would like to ask the U.S. to devote constant attention to this matter and to support Lithuania’s efforts to ensure that the NPP project is delivered in the safest way possible. We constantly underline that one of the goals of Russia’s geopolitical project in NATO’s neighbourhood – the Ostrovets NPP – is to keep not only Belarus, but also the Baltic states in its sphere of influence,” said the Foreign Minister.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister noted that the start of the operation of the Ostrovets NPP was rushed at the expense of safety, deliberately adjusting it to the election calendar. In addition, electricity generation was announced to start on 7 November, thus celebrating the anniversary of the October Revolution.
Linkevičius and Menezes also discussed the issue of diversification of Belarusian energy resources. This year, Belarus has imported crude oil from the U.S. via Lithuania, making use of the Port of Klaipėda and the Lithuanian Railways. Imports to Belarus have now been suspended due to the situation in this country.
