Lithuanian Prime Minister wants to restore political contacts with Russia

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Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernyalis began the new year with a proposal to resume the work of the Lithuanian-Russian intergovernmental commission. It happened on January 3 on the radio station Zhinya Radiyas. The next day, the premiere was firmly turned up by Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. She accused Skvernyalis of irresponsible attitude to national security. Along the way, Russia got it for its “aggressive military, informational and cybernetic policy towards its neighbors.”





Lithuanians supported the position of the head of government

The local media routinely supported Grybauskaite, bringing down another batch of accusations against Russia, its leaders and, of course, against Saulius Skvernyalis himself. It would seem that the incident was settled, and the young prime minister (he has headed the Lithuanian government since December 2016 of the year) should learn a lesson from his erroneous attitude. But Skvernyalis did not calm down.

The other day, he returned to the topic of restoring political contacts with Moscow. This time, on the TV channel LRT, the republic’s Prime Minister Saulius Skvernyalis criticized Lithuanian journalists for speculating on the topic of the “Russian threat” in order to discredit proactive politicians.

“It should not be that as soon as a person publicly declares something that someone doesn’t like, accusations begin to pour on him - an“ agent of the Kremlin ”and the like,” Skvernyalis insisted on his position. Confidence was given to the prime minister by public support. He felt it in the results of a survey conducted by RAIT commissioned by the Baltic Service News.

For the most part, the Lithuanians supported Skvernyalis’s idea of ​​resuming the cooperation of the Lithuanian government structures with the Russian ones that had been interrupted in 2012 in the year. 52% of respondents of RAIT supported this. Another 22% did not express a clear opinion regarding the intentions of the Prime Minister of Lithuania, and only 26% of respondents did not endorse his position.

Experts recognize that, against the background of a powerful anti-Russian campaign in the local media, the results of the survey turned out to be quite favorable for the head of the Lithuanian government, and even somewhat unexpected. In contrast to the country's president, Lithuanians realized the importance of Russian-Lithuanian cooperation in trade, economic, scientific, technical, humanitarian and cultural issues. What, in fact, was previously engaged in the intergovernmental commission of the two countries.

It cannot be said that Skvernyalis is ready for contacts with Moscow without any conditions. He carefully outlines the framework of possible cooperation and believes that “it is necessary to approach the restoration of relations with Russia pragmatically, keeping the strategic borders of Lithuanian politics”. However, this clarification is rather a tribute to the mood prevailing among local politicians.

Obviously, Skvernyalis cares about something completely different. Lithuania today “is the only EU state that does not have any channels for dialogue with Russia. The lack of political contacts at the level of ministers, vice-ministers and a higher level goes against the interests of our state and its citizens, ”the Lithuanian Prime Minister believes.

Why we need such contacts, we can see at least from the impasse, where the Lithuanian authorities wandered into their energy policy. Five years ago, they disassociated themselves from Russia and said that in 2025, the Baltic countries would withdraw from the BRELL energy system and finally say goodbye to the “heavy Soviet legacy”.

New projects do not remove old fears

This legacy consisted in the form of an electric ring, through which energy from St. Petersburg flows through the Baltic states to Kaliningrad, Belarus Minsk, then to Smolensk, Russia, and returns to St. Petersburg again. Therefore, BRELL is actually an abbreviation of the member countries of the energy ring (Belarus-Russia-Estonia-Latvia-Lithuania), though not in a strictly technological sequence.

Vilnius became the initiator of a break of this developed system. He had ambitious plans: to enter the power system of Europe, to connect to Sweden and Poland, then to fasten his Baltic neighbors and even take money for transit from them. The Lithuanian plan cut off Kaliningrad from the Russian generation, which gave the project initiators a special pleasure.

Set before the fact Russia made conclusions for itself and immediately made plans to ensure the energy independence of Kaliningrad. The case has moved. Even today, our western enclave has sufficient capacity for independence. In addition, the other power unit at the Leningrad NPP “came to life” the other day. In the near future, he will open up new opportunities for Russian power engineers.

Lithuania's successes are noticeably more modest. In 2015, she and Poland built the LitPol Link electrical power connection. The project was costly. It was necessary, among other things, to synchronize the network parameters under the European standard. All this pulled in 730 million euros. Of these, the share of Poland accounted for 580 millions, which only partially offset the European Union.

Another project (worth 550 million euros) connected the NordBalt energy bridge through the Baltic Sea to Lithuanian Klaipeda and Swedish Nybro. Meanwhile, both of these highways not only did not make Lithuania a transit for the Baltic neighbors, but did not even close its own energy needs. It turned out, the money spent, and dependence on Russia as it was, and remained.

Moreover, according to expert estimates, in the next two years Russia will be ready, without prejudice to itself, to disconnect the Baltic countries from the energy ring BRELL. Baltic energy industry will have nothing to compensate for this loss. Aware of the threat of increased dependence on Russia, Vilnius again turned to Warsaw with a proposal to build a second branch of the energy bridge - LitPol Link 2.

The new proposal of the Lithuanians did not interest the Poles at all. They argued that the construction of the next energy route would create environmental problems in the region. They also referred to the high cost of the project. Warsaw does not spend money on it. From the already implemented LitPol Link project, it did not receive much benefit. But faced with the competition of cheaper Swedish electricity from NordBalt.

With him, too, is not all easy. Scandinavian experts do not exclude the possible damage to the cable tackles or anchors of fishing vessels. In this case, the Baltic Energy Bridge will fail for months. So the only reliable source of support for Lithuania and its neighbors is still the BRELL power ring.

Similar story occurred with the provision of Lithuania natural gas. She is better known. In the autumn of 2014, the liquefied natural gas storage vessel Independence, a Norwegian company Hoegh LNG, specially built for the Lithuanian terminal, arrived at the port of Klaipeda. The ship was greeted by a company of officials led by Lithuanian President Grybauskaite.

At a rally on the occasion of this event, there were speeches about "achieving energy independence." It soon became clear that Lithuanian Litgas was not ready to completely switch to the supply of liquefied natural gas from Norway, since its price was one and a half times higher than the cost of pipeline gas from Russia. Moreover, it is necessary to pay for the rent of “Independence”. Vilnius quietly, without much noise, continued to pump the main volumes of gas consumed from Gazprom pipes.

You can still remember Mazeikyai refinery. Lithuanian authorities, in order to exclude contacts with Russian oilmen, sold it to Polish company PKN Orlen. The plant shifted to the processing of Arab and Norwegian oil. Nothing really came of this idea. Now, in Mazeikiai, they transport cheaper Russian oil from our Baltic port of Primorsk in tankers.

The given examples show that a certain economic dependence of Lithuania on Russia is preserved and will continue to be maintained. Will the commercial cooperation of energy companies of the two countries continue? In the absence of contacts at the government level, conducting it is not very easy. In Lithuania, they understood this.

Understand not only the prime minister Saulius Skvernyalis. The first to open a new topic was Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. In December, in an interview with the portal 15 min, she said that "it is more profitable to cooperate with Russia, rather than fight." Then she quickly changed her mind and started talking again about the “occupied territories”, sanctions, “interference in the elections of third countries” and other famous propaganda memes.

Saulius Skvernyalis did not bother. He persistently introduces into Lithuanian society the idea of ​​re-establishing contacts at the government level. Most likely, he will be able to insist on his own and turn the tide in our relations. This is facilitated by the need of the Lithuanian economy in such contacts.
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37 comments
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  1. +21
    9 February 2018 15: 13
    No, she died so dead
    1. +16
      9 February 2018 16: 44
      Yes, they do not need normalization of relations with Russia, but cash flows.
      Those. barking at Russia to please the United States and the rehabilitation of fascism is normal for them. And as soon as the staff members began to pay less for this - did we immediately make friends with the run with Russia? What a country, what a president - one ointment in one world. How did Putin talk about some people with low social responsibility? And tomorrow the staff will command “Fas!” - and so what?
      Normalization of relations can be with countries that have sovereignty. And not with a brothel and his "mother."
      1. +11
        9 February 2018 17: 43
        Yes, give the money of the Russian Federation, we will use this money to build a museum of occupation, submit it to the European Court, to compensate you for oppression and purchase weapons. Give us money Russia !!
      2. +1
        9 February 2018 19: 52
        Well, relations with countries that have sovereignty are already normal relations, but they just counted them just once or twice.
        1. +1
          10 February 2018 12: 07
          We do not need any contacts with these ghouls. What we will have from these contacts is, after all, not Russia spoiled relations with the Baltic states.
      3. +1
        10 February 2018 05: 30
        Well, "denyuzhki" is needed by everyone on the Russian side too, so that energy contacts between Russia and the Lithuanians will not be interrupted, but will only develop.
        1. Don
          0
          11 February 2018 13: 52
          Quote: Monster_Fat
          Well, "denyuzhki" is needed by everyone on the Russian side too, so that energy contacts between Russia and the Lithuanians will not be interrupted, but will only develop.

          Once again I notice that foreigners better understand the algorithms of our authorities than our own fellow citizens. But in the elections they will again vote for the same balabol, who will throw another noodle to their ears about scrapes and external threats. Of course they will cooperate, because money does not smell. Today, Russia is not led by ideological people, but by ordinary speculators and businessmen. For better or worse, this is a separate issue.
    2. +3
      9 February 2018 21: 39
      Quote: Chertt
      No, she died so dead

      Perhaps you are right. Pan Felted and Madame Accelerate, smoke bamboo.
  2. +2
    9 February 2018 15: 27
    The strange thing is that both foreign and domestic policies in the Baltic states and in Vilnius are directed strictly against RUSSIA. And what exactly and most importantly how will they * normalize *? What is this for the whole world and for their own citizens they will bear one thing, but for * non-citizens * and for RUSSIA they will say something else?
    1. +2
      9 February 2018 16: 34
      There are no “non-citizens” in Lithuania
      1. 0
        9 February 2018 20: 41
        There are about 1%. But this is a common occurrence for all states. There are many more such "non-citizens" in Moscow.
    2. +1
      9 February 2018 16: 45
      But there are neighbors.
    3. +3
      9 February 2018 17: 52
      These limitrophs have long sworn allegiance to the new master and have long been pursuing Russophobic policies. If the Russian Federation does not have geopolitics and despite the unfriendly policy of the Russian Federation continued to support them, they are used to it and require the continuation of the banquet.
  3. +17
    9 February 2018 15: 41
    Laudable desire
    1. +14
      9 February 2018 15: 57
      Until the thunder strikes ..
      From the bare principle, I would not cooperate with them - all one profit will be small taking into account the volumes of their consumption, and they didn’t just spit in the well, but put in a sewer pipe.
      Therefore, on the contrary, you need to think about how to inflict the most damage on them with minimal consequences for us. Is it possible to forget how they lived on our transit using the monopoly, infringed and continue to infringe on our compatriots (one passport is not a citizen what it costs!) .. Demolished monuments to our soldiers-liberators .. SS parades in the end .. Politics against us ...
      Let them show with their faces that they all realized - they will give our people citizenship, Russian-speaking schools, the right to vote, and more. Then we will think together. And then you give us, and maybe we ..
      Have a bite ..
      1. +6
        9 February 2018 16: 26
        That's right, on your knees and creepingly ask for forgiveness, and we will think and refuse.
      2. +1
        9 February 2018 16: 35
        Actually, there are no non-citizens in Lithuania. All residents of Lithuania were given citizenship. You confuse with Latvia
        1. +4
          9 February 2018 16: 54
          True, I admit. Non-citizens are Latvia and Estonia ..
          Nevertheless, the infringement of the Russian population in Lithuania takes place. As well as discrimination of the Russian-speaking population.
          You just need to understand when these three Baltic jackals are biting among themselves, this is one thing - but when our bear looms, they are already together. And sticking a stick in our wheel is sacred for them, and they didn’t care before that flying off it could hit them on the forehead ..
          I wrote my position on these countries above.
          1. +1
            9 February 2018 17: 35
            the Baltic states, like the Far East (Japan), and Poland suffer from inattention to the protracted conflict or problems. We need more public steps in the style of defusing an arms race so that the banal insanity of Russophobia cannot be hidden. And when at the cultural level the witch hunt ceases, much can be moved.
            Msk looks too much in the direction of China or the United States or the Middle East and pays too little attention to its immediate neighbors.
            1. 0
              9 February 2018 23: 29
              Quote: yehat
              Msk looks too much in the direction of China or the United States or the Middle East and pays too little attention to its immediate neighbors.

              For the sake of interest: The modern state border between the Russian Federation and China. It acquired a modern shape after the final demarcation in 2005. The current length is 4209,3 km, including 650,3 km of land, 3489,0 km of river and 70,0 km of lake. It splits into two sections - long eastern and short western. Between them is Mongolia, bounded by Russia in the north and China in the south. The Russian-Chinese border has both river and land sections. Wikipedia
              Where u farther from China. And the nearest neighbors, as I understand it, are those who used to be part of the USSR and whose elites are dancing to the tune of the United States, and they are begging to flee to the Russian Federation.
      3. +4
        9 February 2018 18: 06
        Quote: seti
        Therefore, on the contrary, you need to think about how to inflict the most damage on them with minimal consequences for us.

        To the point they expressed it, it is a pity that the Russian leadership does not understand such things. For example, Gref, after a coup d'etat of 13 years, in Ukraine, continued to invest Russian money there, thanks to the Ukrainians who laid the brick wall of the Savings Bank branch.
      4. The comment was deleted.
      5. +5
        9 February 2018 20: 01
        I completely agree: they supplied liquefied natural gas from Norway - chopped off pipeline gas from Russia, refineries refocused on the processing of Arab and Norwegian oil - chopped off the supply of cheap Russian oil, etc. Small loss.
  4. +4
    9 February 2018 16: 54
    And we need it?
    1. +3
      9 February 2018 20: 04
      Well, with what hangover to restore relations with pro-fascist states. And how did they transfer our veterans to criminals all over the world ?! Only after payment of the money invested by the Union in them for the years of "occupation", not earlier. And then the doubts are big. Sold out time ...
  5. +7
    9 February 2018 19: 58
    This is not a problem! Let them ask the owner for help and energy! And a question for Russia: do you need it? Especially after numerous evidence of hemorrhoids in these relationships.
  6. +3
    9 February 2018 20: 27
    The economy is collapsing, they decided to raise due to the "wild" Russia! What do we need them for?
  7. +1
    9 February 2018 20: 35
    Wow, Dalia warmed a snake on her chest! It seems that the surname is so good - Fel, and turned out to be an agent of the Kremlin. belay
  8. 0
    9 February 2018 22: 15
    Premiere is essentially a supply manager of the state. And he sees that it is better to buy what is cheaper, BUT Dahl and other rulers of the Baltic Limitrophs went to the west. In short spite grandmother frostbite ears. And the prime minister, then he is the prime minister.
    1. +1
      9 February 2018 23: 03
      A characteristic grimace on his face, even in the Baltic states. at least among Ukrainians: eyes and face to Europe. and by mouth to Russia. So look and skew ...
  9. +1
    9 February 2018 23: 31
    Beauty, Komsomol member, athlete lol lol lol
    1. +1
      10 February 2018 08: 36
      God bless him with the KGB. But a prostitute, too, or what? Where did the "woods" come from?
      1. +1
        10 February 2018 12: 56

        Please.
        1. +1
          10 February 2018 22: 58
          Namesake, thanks for the screen. drinks If it’s not a fake, then everything to the cashier - which country, such a president. But maybe she paid extra for the finals? It doesn’t hurt very much ... It looks good
  10. +1
    10 February 2018 09: 28
    Yes, they went far away to the American cook am ! In general, all ties with them must be broken, especially economic! Let the EU feed them.
  11. 0
    11 February 2018 00: 10
    And we need it?
  12. 0
    11 February 2018 15: 17
    You need to be friends with your neighbors. Not to harm yourself of course. And then lately we quarreled with many. But the initiative should be mutual. There is no need to go with a bow.
  13. -1
    13 February 2018 13: 30
    Lithuania's certain economic dependence on Russia is and will continue to persist

    I’m so glad ... so glad ... let them adversaries spit in our face every day ... anyway, to all spite we will drive our loot to them ... as well as oil, gas and other joy.
  14. 0
    14 February 2018 13: 47
    The American papa banned contact with Russia, although sometimes the hen’s mind shines through. This is such a squiggle. It’s not possible until further notice.

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