VILNIUS, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said Thursday that he sees no reason why Amber Grid's gas transit contract with Russia's Gazprom should not be extended when it expires at the end of this year, Baltic News Service (BNS) reported.

Lithuania is prepared to continue facilitating gas transit to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave under terms favorable to Vilnius, Nauseda said. "All the infrastructure is in place, our interests are there, and some contract terms have been revised to be more beneficial for Lithuania than before."

He stressed Lithuania's willingness to cooperate in this specific area while ensuring the agreement remains economically acceptable. He also underscored the European Union's (EU) policy of maintaining transit routes for energy and goods to territories separated from their mainland.

"Kaliningrad is surrounded by EU territory, and some form of communication with the mainland is necessary," Nauseda said. "But it must happen without threats, blackmail, and only on fair economic terms for Lithuania."

Asked whether Lithuania would consider ending the gas transit contract to pressure Russia, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said Wednesday that Vilnius has no intention of escalating tensions unilaterally. Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas added that a decision on extending the agreement would be made at the end of the year, emphasizing that the issue requires an EU-level decision rather than a bilateral one.

Amber Grid, Lithuania's gas transmission system operator, signed the current 10-year contract with Gazprom in December 2015, following a previous agreement reached in 1999. Lithuania halted Russian gas imports in April 2022, except for transit to Kaliningrad. Enditem

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