According to President Karis, the Baltic states and Poland were among the first EU countries to completely stop importing energy from Russia, but emphasised that more needs to be done to ensure energy security. “It’s regrettable that Russian LNG imports to the European Union have increased this year. This should not be the case after the full-scale war of Russia in Ukraine that has been going on for more than a thousand days. All energy trade between the European Union and Russia must end.”
The President of the Republic also mentioned strategic regional cooperation projects, such as the separation of the Baltic electricity grids from the Russian system and interconnection with Poland. “In sixty days, we’ll connect our electricity grids to the Central European energy region, which will strengthen our energy independence,” he added. “This is an important step for our security as well as our economy.”
President Karis emphasised the importance of the Rail Baltic project not only for connecting the Baltic states, but also for the creation of a better connection with Central Europe. “This will give our people and businesses a high-speed connection to Central Europe and create new opportunities for growth and exports.”
On security issues, the Estonian Head of State also focused on the importance of protecting critical infrastructure, referring to recent cases of sabotage: “The pipelines, power lines and offshore wind farms under development in the Baltic Sea are of strategic importance. We need to protect this infrastructure together and repel any hostile action against it.”
The presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Poland – Alar Karis, Edgars Rinkevičius and Andrzej Duda – attended the ceremony of delivery of the LNG storage vessel Independence to Lithuania in Klaipėda at the invitation of Lithuanian Head of State Gitanas Nausėda.
President Karis will also visit the shipyard of the BLRT Group in Klaipėda. The industrial group, together with its subsidiaries, is one of the largest employers in Klaipėda and the entire region.
Gallery: Office of the President of Lithuania https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBU6U3
