Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius is currently on a working visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan, where he participates in the World Economic Forum, held in Baku.

In the opening session of the Forum “The Vision of South Caucasus and Central Asia” the Prime Minister said: “the South Caucasus and Central Asian countries have untapped potential in various fields, and Lithuania, as well as all the European Union (EU), are interested in co-operation with this region”.

“This forum is beneficial for all the parties involved, as it serves an opportunity to establish contacts with South Caucasian and Central Asian businesses, as well as continue ever closer cooperation in trade and export”, – said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister also noted that the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council will enable further focus on strengthening EU relationship with the Central Asian countries. “The two regions share the common goal to achieve economic prosperity, stability for their people and strength of their societies, therefore the Forum is a wonderful opportunity to encourage the partnership between the European Union and Central Asia. The EU is ready to share experience and knowledge”, – said the Lithuanian Prime Minister.

Earlier today, a meeting was held between Prime Minister A. Butkevičius and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, which focussed on the bilateral economic relations. “We welcome our bilateral cooperation, and note a marked increase of Lithuania’s exports to Azerbaijan last year. The issues of transport and logistics have also been discussed in the meeting. Azerbaijan is interested in the Viking project, which it is expected to join someday,” – said the Head of Government after the meeting.

Another issue on the agenda of the meeting was energy. “We talked about gas prices, which are significantly lower in this region compared to Lithuania. The President was informed about the on-going project of a liquefied natural gas terminal. The President supported our choice,” – said the Prime Minister.

The Lithuanian Prime Minister also met with Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development of Kazakhstan, to discuss transport and logistics. The Prime Minister extended his invitation to the Kazakh Prime Minister to visit Lithuania.

Later today, the Prime Minister A. Butkevičius is expected to meet with Prof. Klaus Schwab, President and founder of the World Economic Forum.

The agenda of the visit to Baku also includes a meeting with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, and participation in the opening of the Lithuanian-Azerbaijani business forum.