Lithuania is to support Belarus in its urge to Europe :: Charter'97 :: News

A statement for the press of Lithuanian Ambassador to Belarus Jonas Paslauskas was distributed Thursday on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic mission in Minsk. It is stated there that Lithuania is ready to support Belarus in case Belarus being an inseparable part of Europe strives for a closer cooperation with it.

“Being the Ambassador for Belarus I became a witness of historical events for my country: Lithuania joined the European Union and NATO. There occurred various points of view, even apprehensions whether these events would engender difficulties and barriers for the ordinary people, businessmen and other citizens of our country. Today we can affirm that this has never happened. And such facts as the approximately $ 700 mln raise of the turnover between our countries, the same number of visas granted that surpass 100 hundred per year from both sides. Moreover, Lithuanian membership in the European Union can give a good incite for the Belarusian economy,” - is said in the statement.

From Paslauskas’ point of view, “today the opinions of Lithuania and Belarus diverge on some political issues”, but nevertheless the states have preserved and now develop efficacious cooperation and friendly relations. “And it is no mere chance that the Lithuanian and Belarusian peoples lived for more that 400 years in a single state consolidating it, creating its uniqueness, culture and the atmosphere of tolerance and goodwill together,” - the Lithuanian Diplomat emphasizes.