OREANDA-NEWS. March 22, 2010. Prime Minister Andrus Ansip met with Audronius Azhurbalis, the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, with whom regional cooperation issues, developments in the establishment of the Vishaginas nuclear power station and the general economic condition were discussed.

According to Prime Minister Ansip, Estonia supports Lithuania’s proposition to prepare an audit of the cooperation between Baltic and Nordic countries by August 2010. “Estonia is interested in a summarized overview of the relations between the Nordic and Baltic countries, so far, and the thoughts on the development of these relations in the future,” he declared.

The Prime Minister also stated that Estonia continues to be interested in participating in the Lithuanian nuclear power plant project and approved the latest developments with regard to the project. It was jointly stated that safety must be ensured at the establishment of any nuclear station, including the planned nuclear power plant in Kaliningrad, and the environmental impact assessment must be independent of politics and rely on thorough analysis.

When speaking about the economic situation, both parties stated that during the crisis Estonia and Lithuania have both managed to remain trustworthy in the eyes of international institutions and that the accession of Estonia to the Eurozone in 2011 has a positive meaning for all three Baltic States. “Estonia’s adoption of the Euro will send out a clear signal on the direction the entire region is moving towards. When Estonia gets the Euro, it will mean that the fulfilment of Euro criteria is only a question of time for Lithuania and Latvia as well,” said Prime Minister Ansip.