Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius received the outgoing Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden in Lithuania Cecilia Ruthström-Ruin. At the meeting the Prime Minister thanked the Ambassador for her active work in Lithuania in developing cross-border relations and expressed willingness to further strengthen the bilateral relations.
“I would like to thank Your Excellency for the sincere work during the term in office in Lithuania. Lithuania highly appreciates its partnership with Sweden; our countries are close economic partners, and we are also allies in the Nordic Baltic Eight (NB8) and the European Union (EU). I am confident that our countries will share mutual understanding in the future as well”, said the Head of Government Butkevičius.
The Prime Minister has noted that Sweden is one of the leading countries in terms of investment in Lithuania. Over 200 Swedish capital companies employ more than 11 thousand people and generate approximately EUR 1.5 million to the state budget per year. “Still full potential is yet untapped. I invite Swedish entrepreneurs to invest in Lithuania even more actively”, said the Prime Minister.
The Head of Government has also stressed that Sweden is a strategic partner of Lithuania in the field of energy. According to the Prime Minister, the launch of the NordBalt power link with Sweden is a historic step, which strengthens Lithuania’s energy independence. “Upon the creation of the appropriate energy infrastructure in the Baltic Sea Region, the next step is synchronization of the Baltic electricity systems with the grid of Continental Europe”, said Prime Minister Butkevičius.
In the meeting, the Head of Government has also emphasized that Lithuania is concerned about the construction of the nuclear power plant in Astravets, Belarus, barely 50 kilometres from the capital Vilnius. “We ask Sweden’s support with a view to ensuring nuclear safety in the region”, said Prime Minister Butkevičius.
At the end of the meeting, the Prime Minister has wished the Ambassador success in her future diplomatic service.