Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas said Thursday that Lithuania's opposition to the planned talks between European Union and Russia over a broader partnership was intended to defend EU's interests, local reports reaching here said.
Lithuania's opposition to a mandate for partnership talks with Russia is not only in defense of its national interests but also the values and interests of EU at large, said Kirkilas in a statement.
Lithuania will continue to defend national and regional interests when necessary and "we should neither feel afraid nor lonely," he said.
Last week, due to Lithuania's opposition, EU foreign ministers failed to agree in Luxembourg to begin negotiations with Russia ona "strategic partnership" covering a broad range of economic and political issues.
On Thursday, Kirkilas talked over phone with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to seek support from Poland for its opposition to the talks.
Lithuania has voiced its support for Poland last year when it opposed the same talks due to a meat embargo by Moscow in 2005.
The previous EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) was signed in 1997 and expired last year and the EU has been seeking to forge a new pact with Russia on a broader partnership.
However, the plan has been repeatedly shelved as the mandate for talks requires unanimous approval from all EU members.
Vilnius demanded that Russia fix an oil pipeline to a Lithuanian refinery that was disrupted in 2006 and peacefully resolve its conflicts with Georgia and other neighbors.
Lithuania has also been urging Russia to sort out historical issues, among them the 1991 killing of seven Lithuanian border guards at the country's Medininkai border post by Soviet special forces.
Lithuania has indicated that the provisions of an energy charter should be obligatory and that the Medininkai incident be mentioned in the declaration.
EU officials are looking to the EU-Russia summit in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia on June 26-27 for an agreement.
Source:Xinhua
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