Lithuanian President: Lithuania Paying a Political, Not Economic, Price for Gas

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite has said that Lithuania is paying a political price for gas from Gazprom rather than an economic one.

In an interview on Lithuanian radio station Ziniu Radijas yesterday morning, the President said that a recently launched European Commission investigation into the competitivity practices of Russian major Gazprom was a good step forward.

"Our region was and is convinced that we are paying much more than we should," the Lithuania Tribune reports her as saying. "Practically, we are paying a political price for gas, not a financial or economic one. And I can see that Europe has begun to actually watch and protect the interests of consumers of all European countries."

Speaking on Russian supplier Gazprom, President Grybauskaite said the company would benefit from cooperating with the European Union and other countries within the EU.

"I think it is beneficial to all Europe and Russia itself," she said. "Russia has to start trading in a civilized way. (Russia has) to be a civilised partner for all countries, because it has just joined the World Trade Organization. Thus, it is very beneficial for Russia itself to become a civilised participant of economic cooperation in the international arena."

Lithuania has in recent times sought to diversify its supply away from Gazprom to ensure greater energy security and lowered prices of gas in the market. Earlier this year, the Lithuanian parliament signed into law a decree which would see 25 per cent of its gas supply coming from a planned LNG terminal in the country, once the terminal is constructed.