Lithuania’s negotiators, who would meet with Gazprom’s experts for their first consultations in Vilnius on Thursday, would primarily seek to bring the price of gas down, he said.
“We will negotiate on one of the most important issues for Lithuania’s people, which is how to bring down the price of natural gas in Lithuania or how to lower the price of imported gas,” Butkevičius told Žinių Radijas (news Radio) on Thursday in response to the question about concessions that Gazprom might expect during the negotiations.
“My understanding and approach towards negotiations is different – they cannot revolve around exchanges. The negotiations must revolve around the agreement to lower the price without any commitments on our side, without us committing to give something away,” Butkevičius said.
The agenda of consultations between Lithuania’s negotiators and Gazprom experts would not include arbitration disputes with Russia’s gas giant, he said adding that the matters pertaining to this issue had been assigned to the Foreign Ministry.
In the context of globalization and integration around the world, countries must strengthen economic cooperation and talk about economic relations, trade balance and foreign direct investments, Butkevicius said. “I think all these arguments lead to certain agreements, and it’s also true as far as energy powers of the Russians are concerned.”
The consultations due to be opened in Vilnius on Thursday will be the first preparatory meeting with Gazprom’s representatives for the working group recently set up by Butkevičius for talks on the terms of natural gas supply to Lithuania.
