Grybauskaitė, the only Baltic leader invited to the event, says that nuclear security is of particular concern amidst the rising threat of terrorism in Europe.
“We can see that terrorists are trying to look this way. Therefore we, all the countries, must consider how to ensure security. There are certain obligations we have undertaken and ensuring they are kept is what we are going to discuss,” President Grybauskaitė said before the summit.
The biannual Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) is a world forum aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism around the globe. This year, world leaders in Washington will discuss nuclear security obligations, preventing the threat of nuclear terrorism, protecting nuclear power plants and spent fuel depositories, efforts against illegal sale of nuclear fuel.
The Lithuanian president is also planning to raise the issue of the nuclear plant that Belarus is constructing near the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. Lithuania insists that Minsk is disregarding international nuclear safety regulations.
“We will have a working dinner with [US] President Barack Obama and three sessions which will involve not just national leaders, but also leaders of the United Nations and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). It is a serious forum, where countries can raise their issues. For Lithuania, of course, it is the issue of the security at Astravyets Nuclear Power Plant. We can see that its construction lacks transparency, IAEA experts are denied access. Therefore we must raise the issue at the highest level and demand that the plant is safe not just for us, but for Europe and for Belarus itself,” according to the Lithuanian president.
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