Press release, 23 October 2015
On Friday, Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, met with the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia, Einars Semanis. Matters of bilateral cooperation in connection with energy, security, transport and culture were discussed at the meeting.
Mrs Graužinienė noted the importance of closer cooperation between Lithuania and Latvia for regional security, the Eastern Partnership and EU integration. The role of the Baltic States in intensifying EU integration was especially underlined.
A great deal of focus was put on the fight against emerging threats to the EU and energy and cyber security. The issues discussed at the meeting included, among others, prospects for building a joint regional energy market, integration of the LNG terminal in Klaipėda into the Baltic gas market, and implementation of the EU Third Energy Package in Latvia.
Lithuanian-Latvian joint strategic projects in the transport and energy sectors were also widely covered. In addition, Mrs Graužinienė and Mr Semanis discussed cooperation in the implementation of the Rail Baltica project. Moreover, the Speaker discussed with the Ambassador the preparation for the Baltic Assembly session which will take place in Vilnius on 19-20 November 2015.
Photo of the Seimas Office (author Olga Posaškova)
The Speaker of the Seimas and the Ambassador also talked about the cooperation in the fields of education and culture. Mrs Graužinienė and the newly appointed Latvian Ambassador agreed that it was particularly important for Lithuania and Latvia to constantly stress and foster the common Baltic origin of the two countries.
Cooperation in this particular area could allow the two countries to create joint education programmes, discuss the idea of publishing common course books, and develop a TV programme that would be broadcast in both countries.
This was not the first meeting between the Speaker of the Seimas and the Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia. They have already had an opportunity to meet and talk to each other at the celebration of the Day of Baltic Unity in Rokiškis, Lithuania, on 19 September 2015.
Einars Semanis, a diplomat and PhD holder, served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia in Poland, Finland and China prior to his appointment as the Latvian Ambassador to Lithuania.
Neringa Mikėnaitė, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6344, mob. +370 698 42 759
