Address by Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania, at the Baltic States' Energy Independence Day event
President of the Republic of Lithuania
February 09, 2025
Your Excellencies, Dear Colleagues, Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honor and privilege to welcome you all here in Vilnius.
This is a historic day, marking the end of a long journey for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Having started with the restoration of political independence in the early 90s, today, we proudly declare to have finally achieved full energy independence.
For Lithuania, every new step along the way - building the Būtingė oil and Klaipėda LNG terminals, as well as boosting green energy - has brought more security and freedom of action. This allowed us to become the first European country to eliminate trade in gas, oil, and electricity with Russia.
Today, we witness a truly regional triumph born out of close cooperation. Having walked the last mile together, the Baltic States are breaking away from hostile dependencies once and for all. Proudly assuming part of our joint responsibility for frequency control, we turn our backs to the old centralized system controlled from Moscow.
From now on, having synchronized our electricity systems with the networks of continental Europe, we are fully integrated with the European energy market.
Our joint success, which would be impossible without the participation of our close friend Poland, shows the true value of solidarity and unity - the core principles of the European Union. It sends a strong message of encouragement across the entire continent. Everyone can see now, that even in these challenging times, great projects of geopolitical importance can - and should - be implemented!
At the same time, we understand there is much more to do. Witnessing systematic attempts to disrupt critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, and also direct military attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, we must work on ensuring the security of our strategic assets. This must be done at both the national and European levels.
The goal that we share with Latvia, Estonia, and Poland is to improve our resilience and promote sustainable economic growth. For Lithuania, this means building more links with our neighbors, such as Harmony Link, and developing new ambitious regional projects such as Hydrogen Corridor and Energy Hub.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It was a great joy today to greet dear colleagues from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and the European Commission here in Vilnius.
While congratulating every country involved in this project, I would like to send special thanks to the European Commission. From the very beginning the Commission recognized the synchronization of the Baltic States as a strategic project for the European Union and provided substantial financial support. Thank you, dear Ursula!
I also extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those who worked tirelessly to make synchronization possible both on a political and a technical level. Your dedication strengthened our countries, enhanced our joint energy security, and, most importantly, ensured the safety of our people.
Let the synchronization of the Baltic States serve us all as a reminder that great ideas, political will, and collaboration bring about positive change that is always needed. Let our success help us build a resilient and prosperous future in Europe!
Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania
