The Russian Ambassador reminded Lithuania of debt in the amount of 72 billion dollars
Moscow has the right to deliver to Lithuania the issue of compensation for funds invested in the Republic and redistributed in its favor during the Soviet Union. In an interview with “Lithuanian courier”, said Russia’s Ambassador to Vilnius, Alexander Udaltsov.
That is the conclusion he came to, asked about the presentation of the Baltic States claims the Russian side, and the prospects of these cases. “I can assure Lithuanian colleagues: none of the Russian officials on this senseless and futile venture will not be discussed”, — said the diplomat.
Udaltsov recalled that at the time of entering into the USSR in 1940 (in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn believe the Soviet occupying power — approx. “Of the tape.ru”), Lithuania was an agricultural country, occupying one of the last places in Europe in terms of life. According to him, by 1990, the ninth in the Lithuanian economy has invested about $ 65 billion, and supplies around the Republic of energy and raw materials from Russia at discount prices total investment exceeded $ 72 billion in U.S. currency.
“Thus, it is clear that a possible formulation of the question of the Lithuanian party on compensation by Russia as a successor of the Soviet Union, the damage allegedly caused to the Republic in the years of its entry into the USSR unlawful and even absurd,” — concluded the Ambassador.
In November 2015, the Ministers of justice of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia signed the Memorandum of cooperation, which have expressed their intention to show Moscow the requirement about damage compensation for the period of “Soviet occupation”.
The Baltic States are going to first assess the damages allegedly incurred during the Soviet era, and then to formulate a claim and to appeal to the legal authorities. Since specific estimate of the damages brought only in Riga — they said that it amounts to 185 billion euros. Vilnius announced the beginning of calculations in September 2016. After three month doing this and by the Estonian authorities.