Talks between Russian, Lithuanian Defence Ministers

Russian and Lithuanian Defence Ministers Sergei Ivanov and Linas Linkevicius will meet in the town of Palanga, Lithuania, today. They will discuss the progress of and prospects for bilateral cooperation between the defence ministries and regional and international security issues, including Lithuania's forthcoming accession to the European Union and NATO.

In addition, they will discuss the transit of Russian military stores through Lithuania and the removal of nuclear fuel wastes from the Kaliningrad region, which were left there after the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Baltic region in 1991-1994. The storage life of the fuel has expired and it should be replaced, the Russian defence minister said. According to him, the wastes can be removed from the Russian enclave by railway via Lithuania.