LITHUANIA-LATVIA COOPERATION WILL ENSURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BALTIC REGION
Friday, February 14, Vilnius - President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with Latvia's new Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma. This is the first visit of the head of the Latvian government, formed in January, to Lithuania. The meeting focused on bilateral relations and economic cooperation, strategic energy projects, Rail Baltica project, Latvia's experience of adopting the euro, and Lithuania's perspectives to join the euro area next year. The President has underlined that Lithuania and Latvia enjoy successful cooperation which produces very good results. The ongoing strategic energy projects will help attain one of the key objectives in the region - security of energy supply to the Baltic States and lower consumer prices for gas and electricity.
According to President Grybauskaitė, we will have real benefits and better electricity prices only when we create an effectively functioning and competitive market. It is therefore crucial not only to successfully complete power interconnections with Sweden, Poland or Finland, but also to improve permeability of the internal Baltic links.
It is planned to complete building interconnections with Sweden and Poland next year. 15 more energy projects from the Baltic countries, including six Lithuanian projects, are placed on the list of EU priority projects and can receive EU funding.
The Latvian Prime Minister complimented the President on Lithuania's very successful Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of last year.
Bilateral economic cooperation was also discussed during the meeting. Latvia is Lithuania's fourth largest trade partner and ranks second in exports from Lithuania.
Other topics discussed at the meeting included relevant EU issues, Eastern Partnership initiative, bilateral cultural ties. This year, Riga carries an honorable European Capital of Culture title.
Copyright - R. Dačkus
Press Service of the President
