OREANDA-NEWS. Belarus is interested in promoting the cooperation with Lithuania in the energy field, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky said when meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Lithuania to Belarus Edminas Bagdonas, reported the Official website www.government.by.

According to Sergei Sidorsky, being both transit countries Belarus and Lithuania adopt the same approaches to energy security issues.

The Belarusian Premier informed Edminas Bagdonas that Belarus is implementing up large-scale programmes in order to reduce the GDP energy intensity by 30% by 2010 and by 50% by 2015. “These are ambitious plans. And we hope to do every possible to diversify our energy supplies not to be dependent on exterior sources,” Sergei Sidorsky underlined. In particular, Belarus will widely consume local fuels.

“I think these issues are rather pressing both for the EU and Lithuania,” the Belarusian PM noted and added Belarus was ready to provide necessary support to the Government of Lithuania in implementing the analogous programmes.

“We know Lithuania jointly with the neighbouring states intends to build a nuclear plant,” said Sergei Sidorsky addressing Edminas Bagdonas. Belarus is following the situation and is interested in the cooperation with Lithuania in this field.

According to Sergei Sidorsky, Belarus is interested in such projects as it intends to build its own nuclear plant in the near future. Having noted that “the possibility to work with the Lithuania colleagues in this field deserves attention”, the Belarusian Premier expressed hope that the sides would be able to develop economic approaches for the welfare of the two countries.

“We came to an agreement with the previous Government of Lithuania to set up a Belarusian-Lithuania working group composed of power engineering specialists and ecologists. They started discussing these problems and put forward proposals concerning the construction of a facility to store up waste produced by the Ingalina nuclear plant.

“In pursuance of the commission given by the Belarusian leader I asked the Prime Minister of Lithuania to arrange a meeting to discuss these issues. We believe we have developed a constructive approach to settle all the problems. We think this will help up ease tension in the border regions and we will remain good neighbors,” Sergei Sidorsky stressed.