Lithuania’s position on the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will remain unchanged after the newly elected president takes up his office, Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius told Belsat TV.
“It is hard to speak for the president, but I think our position is quite consistent, it is based on the facts and arguments,” he said.
According to him, the issue of the Astravets NPP is too touchy to look for a compromise.
“How can we talk about any compromises when such a facility which has questionable safety standards is emerging only 50 kilometers away from our capital?” Linas Linkevičius stressed.
On May 26, economist Gitanas Nauseda became a landslide winner in the runoff vote in Lithuania. He gained over 60% of votes. Earlier, he stated that the NPP issue should not spoil the two neighbours’ relations since Lithiania was vitally interested in Belarus’ independence from Russia.
“Back in the day, we were in the same state – the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This fact creates an emotional background that matters to me. I think that Lithuanians are well-disposed towards Belarusians. We look forward to having an independent Belarusian state as a neighbour in the medium- and long run. And we will treat Belarus as an independent state and help as much as we can,” Gitanas Nauseda said.
