Foreign minister disagrees on Russian ties

VILNIUS (BNS) - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Algirdas Saudargas has denied statements by former President Algirdas Brazauskas that the ministry's policy had damaged relations with Russia during the Conservative Party's term in office, while former Foreign Minister Povilas Gylys supports Brazauskas on the issue.

Saudargas told a news conference on Aug.7 that he was astonished at Brazauskas' statement in the press that "the word "Russia" is crossed out of the dictionary used at the Foreign Ministry."

The foreign minister said that it is "a strangely-worded reproach because we are working hard and intensively in the direction" of improving relations with the neighboring state.

"Brazauskas is well aware and recalls that clarity and dynamics appeared in the Russian ties during this term in office (of Parliament)," said Saudargas, adding that the relations with Russia were unusually "complex" during the rule of the oppositional Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party (LDDP).

An LDDP member, former Foreign Minister Povilas Gylys, told another news conference that he agreed with Brazauskas' utterance about the absence of business-like and pragmatic attitude to the East during the rule of the Conservatives.

"Unfortunately, Mr.Saudargas is wrong in his arguing that the position of the Foreign Ministry towards Russia was constructive during his leadership," said Gylys. He noted that the country's foreign policy lacked "both geographic and functional balance" during the four years in office, and the economic diplomacy was dying.

In Gylys' words, "it is enough to remember the improvization of parliamentary chairman on foreign policy issues, and no more questions will arise."

The left-wing opposition in this parliament has frequently censured the initiatives launched by the leader of the ruling Conservatives, Parliamentary Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis, and the criticism became more biting after Parliament passed a law this June calling upon Russia to pay for the half-century Soviet rule.

The opposition said that the new legislation would impair the relations with Russia. A delegation of the Russian State Duma cancelled its trip to Vilnius during the discussion of the bill.