Violating EU policy Prime Minister of Latvia secretly met Sidorski
13- 6.08.2008, 8:42
Ivars Godmanis, the Prime Minister of Latvia, had a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Syarhei Sidorski on July 11 in the building of the Latvian frontier guard office at Urbany-Silene checkpoint.
The information about the meeting was released on August 4, when Ivars Godmanis told Latvian journalists about it.
As said by him, talks with the Belarusian prime Minister were “ in the interests of the state of Latvia”. However in the framework of the common European policy, officials of the EU countries cannot meet with Belarusian colleagues with a status higher than a deputy minister.
A Latvian consultant on economic issues Vitaly Melnik and an advisor on EU issues Ilse Petersone have taken part in the meeting with the Prime Minister. The belarusdian side was representtaed by Belarusian Ambassador to Latvia Alyaksandr Herasimenka and Consul General Henadz Akhramovich, BelaPAN informs.
The previous meeting of Latvian and Belarusian Prime Ministers took place 10 year ago, Latvian mass media inform.
The press-service of Latvian Foreign Ministry called the meeting of Prime Ministers is special occasion, about which Latvia informed Brussels to avoid problems. “We were to meet with Belarusian colleagues as soon as possible without losing any time,” the State Secretary of Latvian Foreign Minister Norman Penke said, without any further details.
As informed by the Russian “Gazeta”, it was a secret meeting only for the Latvian side. Economic issues were discussed there. The publication notes that Latvia could be interested by transit of Belarusian goods via Latvian railway transport and Ventspils port, and energy projects.
Thus, Belarus plans to build a nuclear power plant and sell part of its energy to Latvia. An agreement on laying an electric cable between the two countries has been concluded. Considering the plans of the three Baltic States and Poland to construct their own nuclear power station with the cost of 1 bn dollars instead of the closing Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, the discussion could touch upon ways of receiving cheaper energy bypassing partners.
