Baltic States – CIS, Belarus, Energy, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Lithuania

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"The meeting began by discussing the excellent relations between Lithuania and Poland and the breakthrough that has been achieved over the recent years," Nauseda's office said in a press release.

"The Polish prime minister thanked the president for strengthening the relations between Lithuania and Poland, and a shared position on the most relevant issues of today's international politics," it said.

The meeting mainly focused on the situation in Belarus and possible scenarios for how it may develop.  

Nauseda reiterated that Lithuania does not recognize Alexander Lukashenko as an elected president of Belarus, because the August 9 election was "neither free nor democratic", according to the press release.  

The president also said that Lithuania expects "an end to the aggression against the peaceful citizens of Belarus, a dialogue between the Belarusian authorities and civil society, as well as a peaceful transition of power".

Nauseda asked Poland to join the three Baltic countries in their sanctions against Belarusian officials responsible for alleged vote-rigging and violence against peaceful protesters. 

The two leaders also discussed the agenda of the upcoming EU summit and agreed to call on the heads of EU bodies to take steps "to increase the resilience and competitiveness of the single market, especially during a pandemic", according to the press release. "Climate change plans and the implementation of the mobility package was touched upon" during the meeting, Nauseda's office said.   

"The president and the prime minister emphasized the importance of NATO and transatlantic relations for national security," it said.  "The two leaders agreed to watch the launch of the Astravyets NPP closely, boycott the electricity produced there and to continue working to ensure that this issue was not left on the margins of the EU agenda."

They also agreed to speed up the implementation of the Baltic power grids' synchronization project.

Nauseda noted that Lithuania has designated 2021 as the Year of the Constitution of May 3 and invited Poland to mark the 230th anniversary of the Constitution together.

The meeting took place on a symbolic day for Poland, the president's office noted.  "The Soviet Union invaded Eastern Poland, 81 years ago, on September 17, 1937. Marking this tragic date, the leaders agreed to join their efforts in fighting against Russia’s propaganda and attempts to rewrite history," it said. "This date marks the beginning of the Soviet aggression against Poland during World War II," Nauseda said. "We will never forget the injustice of the Soviet regime against the countries of Eastern Europe and the Baltics. Our shared mission is to ensure that the history of World War II is not falsified."

The governments of Lithuania and Poland are holding a joint meeting in Vilnius on Thursday. 

The prime ministers and ministers were to hold bilateral talks ahead of the joint session "to summarize the progress made in the strategic partnership between Lithuania and Poland", the Lithuanian government has said in a press release. 

 "Much attention will be paid to the strengthening of cultural relations and the shared historical memory policy, as well as close cooperation in education", it said.