On 6 October, the Minister of Economics Ralfs Nemiro met with the United States Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, the Lithuanian and Estonian energy ministers during his working visit to Vilnius, Lithuania, and on 7 October participated in the high-level energy forum. The meeting of the Minister of Economics R.Nemiro and United States Secretary of Energy R.Perry will continue tomorrow on 8 October in Riga.
During the meeting with R.Perry, the energy ministers of the Baltic States signed an agreement (communique) on the intention to start in the nearest time, in cooperation with the United States, a series of joint measures in the field of energy, including the diversification of gas supply sources in the Baltic States, the strengthening of cyber security and regional energy security, as well as the development of innovative low-emission technologies.
“Diversification of energy sources, including gas supplies, is one of the priorities of Latvia and the Baltic States, so we have done considerable work to integrate into the single European Union energy market and stop the country’s “energy island” isolation. I am convinced that cooperation with the United States will contribute to the energy independence of the Baltic States and contribute to a series of important energy projects,” recognises Ralfs Nemiro, the Minister of Economics.
On 7 October, a High-Level Forum of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation was held in Vilnius with participation of the United States, Central and Eastern European energy ministers. As part of the forum, energy ministers discussed extending of cooperation to diversify gas supplies, as well as developing of new technologies in the field of energy. The Forum also discussed issues relating to the synchronisation of energy supply of the Baltic States with European single energy systems.