Energy, Lithuania, Transport

The heads of Mazeikiu Nafta met with the representatives of Lithuanian railways already on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier, they met with Transport Minister Algirdas Butkevicius, who had become as if an arbiter controlling that the agreement would be reached in the dispute of the companies, informs ELTA.

The peaceful agreement is especially desired by Mazeikiu Nafta sued to arbitrage by Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai due to the debt of 40 million litas (11.629 million euros), which was accumulated since June because of applying lower tariffs.

According to the long-term agreement signed with Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai in 1999, the U.S. company Williams, earlier shareholder of Mazeikiu Nafta, settled the preferential tariffs till June 2008. The representatives of Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai said that since June Mazeikiu Nafta started to pay less than the prices provided in the agreement, therefore, the company accumulated a debt reaching millions in September. Then, Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai appealed to the arbitrage and terminated the old agreement unilaterally.

Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai will apply the taxing for transporting oil products to Mazeikiu Nafta under the general order till the new agreement is signed. Products are continued to be transported and Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai does not intend to discontinue providing the services.