Lithuania rejects proposals to establish a free transit corridor between the Kaliningrad region

Lithuania rejects proposals to establish a free transit corridor between the Kaliningrad region, Russia's western enclave on the Baltics, and the Russian mainland, reads the resolution "On cooperation with the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation," adopted by the Lithuanian parliament on Friday. The document says that Lithuania does not agree with the provisions of the memorandum submitted by the Russian side to the European Commission, the supreme executive body of the European Union. Under this memo, Kaliningrad transit will be governed by Russia's domestic laws and regarded as "Russian domestic transit". It also dismisses proposals to establish high-speed railroad communication without visa through Lithuania's territory. "We state that the attempts towards making an exception for Russian transit in the legislative base of the European Union, providing for the establishment of a transport corridor through Lithuania, run counter to the state interests of Lithuania", says the resolution. Presenting the draft resolution, the Lithuanian parliament's Speaker, Arturas Paulauskas, pointed out that it was aimed at "strengthening Lithuanian positions" on the international arena. The Speaker noted that adoption of the resolution would contribute to strengthening Lithuania's diplomatic positions in course of the session of the European Union Council for Common Affairs and Foreign Relations to be held next week in Brussels. In accordance with the earlier agreement between Russia, Lithuania and the EU, of July 1, 2003, Russian citizens travelling to the Kaliningrad Region through the territory of Lithuania shall get "a simplified transit document for the railway trip" from Lithuania's consular services, a transit visa or a corresponding document