Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said there's "no common ground" in Baltics on boycotting Belarusian nuclear energy, as Riga has urged Vilnius to accept a compromise.
“What has been proposed so far has been the best compromise achieved by all sides," Latvia's Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs told reporters on Monday after a meeting with his Baltic and Polish counterparts. "From that point of view, I urge the Lithuanian government to accept that because it has not been an easy debate."
Rinkēvičs said it had not been easy to get the agreed declaration through the Latvian Cabinet.
In May, Lithuanian Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas unveiled a political declaration, agreed with the Latvian and Estonian economy ministers, on electricity trade with third countries after Lithuania halts imports from Belarus.
Read more: Critics fear Lithuania may ‘capitulate’ in the fight against Belarusian nuclear plant
Lithuania is boycotting electricity imports from Belarus in protest of the construction of a nuclear power plant in Astravyets which, Vilnius insists, violates international safety rules.
Lithuania has been trying to get Latvia and Estonia to join the boycott, but the agreed declaration comes short of that.
Vaičiūnas says the agreement will help Lithuania block imports from the plant, but some criticise it for a lack of commitment on the part of Riga to ensure that Astravyets electricity does not reach the common market via Russia and Latvia.
The draft political declaration has been criticised by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius and country's opposition politicians.
Read more: Lithuanian opposition demand energy minister off Belarusian electricity ban talks
Lithuanian FM: The agreement is unsatisfactory
Commenting on the agreement and Latvia's position, Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linkevičius said the result is not to Vilnius' satisfaction.
“Unfortunately, [...] there's no common ground and we have to continue working on this. Right now, the achieved result, which is intermediate, is not satisfactory to us,” Linkevičius told LRT TV on Monday.
Lithuania's boycott of Belarusian electricity is not only about safety of the Astravyets plant, but also relates to the Baltic states' plans to disconnect their electricity grids from the Russian-controlled BRELL network by 2025, according to Linkevičius.
Read more: Latvia’s refusal to back Lithuania may hinder Baltic energy link with Europe, PM says
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