8 February 2011
Mrs Irena Degutienė, Speaker of the Seimas, met with Mr Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, during her official visit to Baku.
The Speaker of the Seimas notes that Lithuania considers Azerbaijan to be a politically and economically independent and powerful country with its decisions having a strong impact on the geopolitical future of the entire region of South Caucasus. It is thanks to Azerbaijan that Georgia can now be absolutely independent of Russian gas and I believe that it is a crucial achievement of the country under your leadership, Mrs Degutienė observes.
The Speaker of the Seimas informs that Lithuania is planning the construction of an LNG terminal on the shore of the Baltic Sea and the experience of Azerbaijan in this field would be beneficial for our country.
At her meeting with Mr Aliyev, Mrs Degutienė discussed the possibility to reopen the so-called Sarmatian corridor, which could be used for transporting crude oil from the Caspian region to Poland and then to Klaipėda through the Ukrainian oil pipeline Odessa-Brody. A possible development of the Viking project by extending the railway route to Azerbaijan was also considered.
The meeting also focussed on two EU twinning projects whereby Lithuania provides assistance to the Parliament and Prosecution Service of Azerbaijan. In the opinion of the Speaker of the Seimas, Lithuania is able to provide assistance to Azerbaijan in other areas as well where call for tenders for EU twinning projects will be announced later this year.
The Speaker of the Seimas extended her gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan for a possibility to hold a bilateral business forum in Baku where around 40 Lithuanian business companies will be presented. According to Mrs Degutienė, Lithuanian businesses working not only in the areas of food and dairy products but also in information technologies etc. can be of interest to Azerbaijan.
Secretariat of the Speaker of the Seimas
Juozas Ruzgys, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 239 6023; +370 698 42073
