"I have talked to both prime ministers (of Estonia and Latvia) and they are waiting for our signal. Some meetings will take place next week," he told reporters after a discussion about the country's energy strategy held at the Seimas (parliament).
Butkevičius said that the talks would be held "at the level of energy ministers and energy companies."
The prime minister told BNS later in the day that it had not been agreed yet as to where - in Lithuania or other countries - and when those meetings would take place.
Butkevičius said that talks with the partners would be held without waiting for the Seimas' decision on the Visaginas project.
"We don't have to wait here. The energy minister (Jaroslav Neverovič) and I have discussed today that starting tomorrow, we'll be sending signals that we want to meet," he said.
The prime minister said that Poland was "making a pause" regarding the Visaginas project.
"When I was visiting Poland and speaking to the prime minister, I was told that they were making a certain pause at the moment," he told BNS.
Meanwhile Energy Minister Neverovič states that Lithuania will not build a new nuclear power plant all by itself, that is, without the investments from the the Latvians and the Estonians, adding that the nuclear power facility should be a regional project.
“Lithuania will not be able to develop this project all by itself. It would be possible to develop this project if it was regional. With actual involvement of Latvia and Estonia and perhaps other partners. But there’s no way it could be developed as a purely Lithuanian project,” Neverovič said during a discussion of the country’s energy strategy with the MPs on Thursday.
Neither Neverovič nor Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius would answer a question by Algimantas Dumbrava of the Order and Justice Party about future talks with the Latvians and the Estonians as well as the strategic investor, Japanese-US corporation Hitachi/GE.
Prime Minister earlier said that the discussions in the Seimas (parliament) would shape up the proposals, which Lithuania would address to Latvia and Estonia.
Energy Minister previously said that talks with Hitachi on building a nuclear power facility in Visaginas could be continued, were the Japanese corporation willing to invest in the project.
