Inga Ruginienė
MINSK, 1 April (BelTA) - Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has announced that Lithuania has appointed a representative to conduct bilateral political negotiations with Belarus, according to Lithuanian media reports.
She indicated that Lithuania would be willing to hold such a meeting but added that Vilnius has “certain conditions”. Inga Ruginienė did not reveal the name or title of the designated negotiator.
Last week, U.S. Special Envoy John Coale, speaking to a Lithuanian media outlet, urged Vilnius to engage in dialogue with Minsk and expressed the United States’ interest in Belarusian potash fertilizers. He emphasized the need to establish conditions for shipping Belarusian potash fertilizers through Lithuania and “to put an end to matters that complicate life on both sides”. The Lithuanian prime minister responded by saying Vilnius could consider a meeting with Belarusian representatives at the deputy foreign minister level, while noting that several conditions would need to be met for such dialogue to resume. Spokesman of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ruslan Varankov said Belarus is prepared to discuss any outstanding issues with Lithuania without preconditions.
Earlier, the newspaper Diena reported that Lithuania’s suspension of transit of products from Belaruskali, effective 1 February 2022, was a key factor behind Lithuanian Railways’ financial losses.
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