Cooperation, Energy, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania

Audronius Azubalis and Girts Valdis Kristovskis. Vilnius, 8.12.2010.

On Wednesday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis and his Latvian counterpart Girts Valdis Kristovskis discussed bilateral relations and common energy security policy, as well as improvement of the Nordic-Baltic cooperation.

The ministers agreed to pursue joint efforts towards the implementation of the regional energy projects of major importance to Lithuania and Latvia to guarantee the countries' economic security, the Foreign Ministry says in a statement.

Azubalis and Kristovskis also focused on the expert panel's report of the Nordic and Baltic countries, the so-called NB8 (Nordic Baltic 8), the implementation of the recommendations in the report, which is expected to continue in 2011.

The ministers stated that the countries in the region should be in a closer cooperation in their foreign policies, activities of diplomatic representations, and enhancement of the region's visibility and influence following the recommendations of the report.

During the meeting, Azubalis stressed the importance of Lithuanian and Latvian road interconnections. According to the Lithuanian foreign minister, it has been three years since Lithuania and Latvia joined the Schengen area, but they have not restored or built a new road across the border yet. The Lithuanian and Latvian foreign ministers agreed that the restoration of the local roads crossing the Lithuanian and Latvian border would facilitate communication between border residents and encourage regional development.