Baltic States – CIS, Energy, EU – Baltic States, Gas, Legislation, Lithuania

Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said that his advisers and Russia have already confirmed that in the following days, most probably the next week, the meeting of Kubilius and Director General of Gazprom Export Alexander Medvedev, during which the possibilities to reduce Russia's prices for natural gas supplied to Lithuania will be discussed, reports LETA/ELTA, referring to Kauno diena.

It has been predicted that the negotiations might be difficult and bring no tangible results. Russian newspaper Izvestija said that Russia could reduce their natural gas prices only if Lithuania did not implement the EU Third package for Electricity and Gas markets project. This project includes separating gas pipes' business from the gas suppliers. It means that gas pipes in Lithuania, as well as in the entire EU, eventually will not anymore belong to Gazprom.

This reorganization is required to be implemented in 2013. Lithuania is not going change its plans about this project. However, it is expected that the talks with Russia will be fruitful because, now, Russia expressed its willingness to negotiate, which has never happened before.