Lithuanian, Azerbaijani presidents talk Caucasus security situation, cooperation

VILNIUS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda started his official visit to Azerbaijan on Wednesday morning and met with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in the economic, energy and transport sectors, the security situation in the Caucasus region, and cooperation between the European Union and Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, the Lithuanian president underlined that Azerbaijan is an important partner of Lithuania in this region, adding that peace, stability, and economic growth in the Caucasus are of common interest to the countries of this region, to Lithuania and the entire EU, the Lithuanian presidential press service said.

Nauseda voiced Lithuania's support for greater cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, making use of all existing opportunities. The EU-Azerbaijan strategic partnership is of particular importance in the face of the Russian war in Ukraine, the Lithuanian president said.

"The war in Ukraine has spurred the European countries on to look for ways to diversify their energy sources. We see Azerbaijan as a reliable partner in the energy sector and are therefore interested in intensifying our cooperation. Lithuania could offer Azerbaijan solutions in the field of renewable energy, especially solar energy," Nauseda underlined.

He also underlined the potential for cooperation in the field of transport as Lithuania is an EU country with a well-developed infrastructure and can be viewed as a gateway to the EU. 

Nauseda also pointed out that Lithuania was interested in the railway project Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia, which could be an alternative to the existing routes from Asia to Europe.