Lithuania does not believe its ban on goods transit to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad was wrong, but will still take into account the European Commission's guidelines on the issue out of "respect for the transatlantic unity," Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2022) Lithuania does not believe its ban on goods transit to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad was wrong, but will still take into account the European Commission's guidelines on the issue out of "respect for the transatlantic unity," Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the European Commission published its guidelines on the Kaliningrad transit issue. The document clarified that though "transit of sanctioned goods by road with Russian operators is not allowed" under the EU sanctions, "no such specific regime applies to rail transport," provided the appropriate control by EU member states. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry positively assessed the commission's decision.
"I stress that Lithuanian state institutions intend to take into account the European Commission's opinion, but not because we believe that something has been done wrong since June 17," Simonyte said during a press conference.
Lithuania's intention to heed the EC clarifications is explained by its "respect for the transatlantic unity," and a shared narrative of sanctions against Russia, the Lithuanian prime minister added.
It would be "irrational" for Vilnius and Western countries to waste their time on discussion "whether it is possible to transport one kilotonne of steel" from the main part of Russia to Kaliningrad by rail, Simonyte said, adding that internal debates on such "insignificant" issues would mean "a real victory for the Kremlin."
On June 18, Lithuanian Railways halted transit of some goods sanctioned by the EU to Kaliningrad. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned EU Ambassador to Moscow Markus Ederer and demanded that transit be resumed immediately, pledging to apply retaliatory measures otherwise. The Lithuanian authorities have been denying violation of the transit agreement, saying that the decision was made in compliance with EU sanctions. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that Vilnius would not make any concessions on the issue.
