“Now we are waiting for proposals from Russia, as to when the experts could come. There have been no contacts with the Russian party and we believe that we will get to know their stance in the near future, maybe even this week, and, let’s hope, talks will begin at the end of this month or in the beginning of next month,” Butkevičius said in an interview to the Lithuanian Radio on Tuesday.
Butkevičius unveiled plans to set up task groups for negotiations after meeting with Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller early in April. On April 5, the prime minister said that “the experts will come and the dialogue will be opened next week.”
Speaking about a draft memorandum between Gazprom and Lithuania’s government, which had been made available to the media, he described it as a “piece of paper from the past.” He admitted, however, that some of the clauses included in that memorandum might be negotiated on.
Prime Minister said last week that Energy Minister Jaroslav Neverovič would lead Lithuanian experts involved in the talks. Also, the representatives of the European Commission (EC) might take part in the negotiations between Lithuania and Gazprom.
The draft memorandum says that Gazprom would agree to lower the price of natural gas supplied to Lithuania by 20 percent if Lithuania agreed to extend its long-term gas supply contract with the Russian concern until 2020 and to guarantee reliable transit of gas to Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad. Also, Gazprom reportedly proposes to envisage a possibility to delay the unbundling of Lietuvos Dujos’ ownership by one year, until October 31, 2015.
Germany‘s E.ON Ruhrgas currently owns 38.9 percent of shares in Lietuvos Dujos (Lithuanian Gas). Gazprom owns 37.1 percent of the Lithuanian gas import and distribution company and the Lithuanian Energy Ministry holds a 17.7-percent stake.
