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Dalia Grybauskaitė and Alexander Lukashenko. Minsk, 20.10.2010.

"Lithuania is ready to help Belarus defend its interests in Europe inasmuch as Belarus wants this help. We want to help Belarus be more open to Europe," the President said.

According to the President, during its chairmanship of the OSCE Lithuania will be particularly interested not only in enhancing energy security but also in protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially during elections. Therefore, for Lithuania it is very important that the upcoming election in Belarus in December is free and meets OSCE standards, informed BC presidential press service.

During the President's visit to Belarus, Lithuanian and Belarusian ministers of foreign affairs signed a bilateral agreement on facilitation of border-crossing regime for Lithuanians and Belarusians living within 50 km from the state border.

"Today Lithuania is opening its doors. We have shown we have no fear and now you show you do not fear. I want this trust to be appreciated. In the modern Europe there should be no borders, either real or virtual. The agreement on facilitated border-crossing regime will open up new opportunities for people-to-people contacts between Lithuania and Belarus. From now on, not only contacts will be easier but also cooperation in developing our economic, commercial, cultural and tourism relations will be promoted. This is a concrete step towards closer relations between Belarus and Europe," President Dalia Grybauskaitė said.

There was also a meeting of Lithuanian and Belarusian delegations. They discussed cooperation in energy and transport. On the issue of construction of new nuclear power plants in Lithuania and Belarus, the President of Lithuania underlined the interest of Lithuania and other countries of the region in ensuring security of all nuclear power plants in the region and their conformity to international environmental standards.

The Presidents of Lithuania and Belarus also discussed the possibility to transport electricity from Ukraine by transit through Belarus and the conditions for importing oil to Belarus via the Klaipėda Seaport.

Special ELTA correspondent Dalia Lenkauskaite reports from Minsk that President of Belarus Aleksander Lukashenko was glad that Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite keeps the promise to address common problems together. Leader of Belarus said that after the meeting with Dalia Grybauskaite, who is currently on a one-day working visit to Belarus.

"Lithuania is only a neighbor of Belarus, but also a member of the European Union and will chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2011. We want to help and be together during the elections, we want to help Belarus to be more open and more accepted in Europe," Lithuanian president said.

"I would like to talk about the Eastern Partnership, to discuss on whether it will develop or it will remain frozen," Lukashenko said. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis, who is accompanying the president during the visit, plans to sign an agreement on cross-border movement between Lithuania and Belarus to facilitate travels for citizens of both of the countries who live within a 50 km radius from the border.