Lithuania to build fence on border with Russia - minister

Record ID: 164772

  • Title: Lithuania to build fence on border with Russia - minister
  • Date: 17th January 2017
  • Summary: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA (JANUARY 17, 2017) (REUTERS) LITHUANIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY BUILDING LITHUANIAN COAT OF ARMS AND EU FLAGS SIGN READING (Lithuanian): "MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA" (SOUNDBITE) (Lithuanian) LITHUANIAN INTERIOR MINISTER, EIMUTIS MISIUNAS, SAYING: "Lithuania plans to erect a fence to protect the Lithuanian state border from the side of the Russian Kaliningrad region. The price is set at 3,6 million Euro. The length of the fence should reach 135 kilometres from Lithuania, Poland and Russia border towards the area around Nemunas river."
  • Embargoed: 31st January 2017 16:34
  • Keywords: Lithuania Russia Crimea annexation NATO
  • Location: VILNIUS, KYBARTAI, LITHUANIA
  • City: VILNIUS, KYBARTAI, LITHUANIA
  • Country: Lithuania
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015ZGZUBD
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Lithuania will build a fence along its border with Russia's Kaliningrad region, the country's interior minister told Reuters on Tuesday (January 17).
    "The fence will be 2 meters high, with additional obstacles to make it harder to climb over or dig underneath. Such fence will not stop tanks or other military equipment," Eimutis Misiunas, said.
    "As we evaluate the geopolitical threats, Russian geopolitical threats, Lithuanian politicians have expressed their will that we need to have a physical barrier from such a country."
    U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and vows to improve relations with the Kremlin, his questioning of U.S. commitments to NATO allies and Russia's resurgent assertiveness have revived deep insecurities in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia more than two decades after their breakaway from Moscow's yoke.
    In 2014, spooked by Putin's annexation of the Crimea region in Ukraine, Lithuania reintroduced conscription and began expanding its military, aiming to boost defence spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2018.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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