Energy cooperation possible only with democratic Belarus

Belarus expects the expansion of the dialog with Lithuania and other EU countries on energy and energy security issue, Prime Minister Syarhey Sidorski declared at the meeting with Edminas Bagdonas, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania in Belarus in the Government House.

“The questions on energy security are of great importance both for the EU and Belarus”, - S. Sidorski declared.

As he said, “We do our best for the diversification of the dependence of the energy sources and we made great progress in this direction”, - the Prime Minister remarked. In this connection Belarus is interested in cooperation with Lithuania and the EU not only in the spheres of energy resources transit, but “we also suggested to cooperate more actively in the sphere of energy”, - S. Sidorski stressed.

Addressing the Ambassador, S. Sidorski said, that “your government offered to carry on a dialogue on expanding of transit possibilities. Being the transit countries, we concur in the issues on energy security, but we want to cooperate on a number of energy issues”. In this connection the Prime Minister remarked that “we are negotiating with the EU on Energy Charter Treaty”.

We remind that 20-21 September international coordinator of Charter’97, former deputy foreign minister Andrei Sannikov paid a visit to Brussels on behalf of the European March organizing committee. In the capital of Belgium Andrei Sannikov met with the representatives of the European Commission, among them head of the European Commission department for Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus Hilda Hardeman, senior advisor of Secretary General of the Council of the EU Pirkka Tapiola, other officials of the European Commission, Council of European Union as well as Secretary General of the European Movement Henrick Kroner.

As it became known to Andrei Sannikov, the senseless repressions against activists of the democratic moment in Belarus have already broken down the energy security issue discussion between Belarus and European Commission.

“The arrival of the European Commission delegation for studying the Belarusian authorities’ viewpoint on the energy cooperation and energy security was scheduled for early October. But it was cancelled due to the latest repressions.”, - Andrei Sannikov reported.