The opening ceremony of the Poland-Lithuania gas pipeline took place at the Jauniunai gas compressor station in Lithuania. The ceremony was attended by Lithuanian, Polish and Latvian presidents Gitanas Nauseda, Andrzej Duda and Egils Levits, respectively, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson. This was reported by BiznesAlert.pl.
According to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, the opening of the Poland-Lithuania interconnector provides additional connections. Thanks to them, it is possible to diversify supplies. "Thanks to this we strengthen our energy security. Tomorrow, thanks to our terminal, gas will come to Poland. This is the best and strongest response to Russia," said the head of state.
"Today, the Poland-Lithuania gas pipeline is a fact at a time when Russia has made another attempt at gas blackmail. It is a ready answer. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is a need to stop importing gas and oil from Russia. The vast majority of the European Union is not ready for this because of Europe's longstanding dependence on supplies from Russia. We have heard that Russia is supposed to be a responsible and supposed partner. "Gazprom is not a free market company. It is the economic and military arm of the Russian government. Through such investments, we are providing ourselves with an alternative," said Andrzej Duda, president of the Republic of Poland.
"Today is indeed a big day. First of all for Poland and Lithuania, but it is also a big day for Latvia, Estonia and Finland. Today we are moving forward and taking a big step toward full energy independence for our countries. Western Europe has for some time been very naïve about trade with Russia. The West has long considered russia as a reliable partner, which, as we can see at the moment, is completely misplaced," Latvian President Egils Levits stressed in his statement.