KALININGRAD. Aug 14 (Interfax-AVN) - The Baltic Fleet command has refuted reports that the Russian and Lithuanian Defense Ministries reached an agreement on transit transportation of spent rocket fuel from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia across the Lithuanian territory.
"The Lithuanian Defense Ministry understands the problem of transit transportation of spent rocket fuel across the republic's territory. However the issue is not within the competence of this ministry," Colonel Anatoly Lobsky, chief of the Baltic Fleet press service, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday.
The problem is discussed by Russian and Lithuanian experts, Lobsky said. Proposals drafted by the experts will be submitted for consideration to the governments of the two countries.
A total of 1,600 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel have amassed in the Kaliningrad region in the past 10 years. It is necessary to transport the fuel to central Russia for subsequent processing.
There is no other way to deliver the fuel except by railway across Lithuania. Russia has special rolling stock with reinforced tank-cars that can transport spent nuclear fuel.
The two nations have been discussing the issue at the level of the defense ministries, interior ministries, presidents and prime ministers for two years. Lithuania is opposed to the transit transportation of spent nuclear fuel from the Kaliningrad region citing a national law banning transportation of any foreign military cargo on its territory.