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Prime ministers of Belarus, Lithuania meet in Nyasvizh

The prime ministers of Belarus and Lithuania, Syarhey Sidorski and Andrius Kubilius, had an informal meeting in Nyasvizh, Minsk region, on July 27, BelaPAN reports.

Mr. Kubilius is spending his vacation making a bicycle tour of western Belarus together with his wife Rasa, Economy Minister Dainius Kreivys, Social Security and Labor Minister Donatas Jankauskas and other Lithuanian officials and politicians.

While in Nyasvizh, the group, which includes some 30 bicycle tourists, went on an excursion to the 16th-18th century Radziwill Castle. Messrs. Kubilius and Sidorski took a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

On Monday, Mr. Kubilius and his fellow travelers visited Navahrudak. Earlier on Tuesday, they visited the 16th-century Mir Castle in the Karelichy district, Hrodna region. “We have very good impressions of our journey,” Mr. Kubilius told reporters. “

The route that we chose has proved really interesting. We are happy that the prime minister of Belarus agreed to arrange for us to make such a trip. When you are visiting a castle like this, you can feel the breath of history, the history that was made here for centuries. This area was a real Europe. There were no borders. Real European culture was created here. For example, in Navahrudak, we visited the Adam Mickiewicz House Museum. Here in Nyasvizh, we visited the family estate of the Radziwills, who were one of the most famous and richest families in Europe. It’s really amazing to touch this history."

Mr. Sidorski said that he likes to visit historical sites. “We in our country pay much attention to taking the best of what historically links Belarus and Lithuania together,” he said. “What we can see here is part of the heritage of the Grand Duchy of Litva. Of course, we would like to see monuments of our common history in Lithuania.”

When asked whether he had a desire to join the Lithuanian bicycle tourists, Mr. Sidorski said, “Yes, I do wish to participate in the bicycle run. When I and my [Lithuanian] counterpart met with our president, Alyaksandr Ryhoravich [Lukashenka] said, ‘Go with them.’ Maybe, we’ll establish this tradition today. As for me, I ride a bicycle every evening, after work.”

After Nyasvizh, Mr. Kubilius and his group headed to the Brest region. The tour will end on August 1.