Lietuva in brief - 2012-03-29

  • 2012-03-28

Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius visited on March 23 the Vilnius Pranciskus Skorina Secondary school on the occasion of the Independence Day of Belarus and congratulated teachers and pupils of the school, reports ELTA. “From the point of view of geography and history, Belarusians are, most probably, the most approximate nation to Lithuanians - for centuries we have lived and worked together. Therefore, we, Lithuanians have always supported and we will support Belarus on its way towards democracy,” Kubilius said. According to the prime minister, a future Belarusian community elite has been educated in this school. “The Belarusian language is alive here, to which UNESCO has given status as an endangered language. I sincerely wish your pupils to be patriots of their nation and country, and to the school - all the best with fostering the Belarusian language and culture,” the prime minister said. The Pranciskus Skorina secondary school was established in 1994 and it now provides education to 182 pupils.

At the Nuclear Security Summit held to address the measures and initiatives for enhancing nuclear security, President Dalia Grybauskaite introduced Lithuania’s practical contribution to combating nuclear smuggling, reports ELTA. Following and supporting the U.S. initiative to create a network of centers of excellence for nuclear security, this year such a center will be established in Lithuania. The Center of Excellence for Nuclear Security, to be set up at the Border Guard School in Medininkai, will provide training sessions, prepare exercises and interaction plans for combating nuclear smuggling, and promote inter-institutional contacts. “Lithuania as a nuclear state which plans the construction of a new NPP and has spent fuel storage facilities perfectly understands the importance of securing nuclear materials from terrorists,” Grybauskaite underlined. It would serve to ensure that the nuclear power plants planned in Kaliningrad and Belarus are obliged to meet international safety requirements. Leaders from 53 states and representatives of international organizations (IAEA, UN, EU, and Interpol) attended the Nuclear Security Summit. This was Lithuania’s first invitation to the high-level event.