There've been no meetings with Belaruskali reps – Lithuanian PM

  • 2021-12-23
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says she has no information on any meetings of Lithuanian officials with representatives of Belarusian fertilizer producer and exporter Belaruskali, which is on the US sanction list.

But, she added, there have been meetings with representatives of Belaruskali's subsidiary Belaruskaya Kalinaya Kompaniya which is not on the US sanction list.

"There have been meetings with the non-sanctioned company as that company was not on the sanction list at the time," the prime minister told lawmakers on Thursday.

She also confirmed that the meetings with the BKK representatives were attended by Vice Foreign Minister Egidijus Meilunas: "The meetings were held to communicate the reasons for the sanctions the US imposed and involved coordination with Lithuania's strategic partners".

"Meilunas was neither authorized to negotiate anything nor he did, and there's no basis to speak about any agreements negotiated by the vice minister," Simonyte said.

The 15min.lt news website reported earlier that Meilunas met with BKK representatives in Vilnius twice in the middle of October. The meetings were held as the BKK representatives were negotiating changes to the freight transportation contract with Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LG), the country's state-owned railway company, and the amendment was confirmed by advance payments for fertilizer transportation.

Asked by 15min.lt for comment, the Foreign Ministry refrained to deny or confirm the fact such meeting took place.