Latvia and Lithuania Will Promote Free Elections in Belarus in 2021

The presidents of the two Baltic countries held talks.

Presidents of Latvia Egils Levits and Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda have agreed to support efforts to hold free presidential elections in Belarus in 2021. The Lithuanian leader's press service said following the February 12 online talks between the heads of the two states, naviny.online writes.

The parties discussed the situation in Belarus, where "the use of force continues" against citizens," agreed to continue helping the Belarusian civil society struggle for democratic transformations and prepare additional sanctions at the regional level against those responsible for violations of human rights and freedoms.

"We must support those who strive for freedom, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, defend human rights and freedoms," Nauseda said.

The leaders of Latvia and Lithuania also discussed the issues of the safety of the Belarusian NPP and the fight against the appearance on the Baltic market of electricity from "unreliable nuclear power plants of third countries."

According to the Latvian president's press service, Levits and Nauseda agreed that the European Union should continue to act as a united front in support of the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people.

On the same day, the Belarusian issue was discussed at a meeting in Riga by the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the two countries Edgars Rinkevics and Gabrielus Landsbergis. "Both ministers emphasized how important it is for Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia to continue mutual coordination and speak with a single voice about the situation in Belarus," the press service of the Latvian Foreign Ministry said.