TALLINN - Sven Mikser, chairman of the Estonian parliament's foreign affairs committee, has said that Western European states would be short-sighted if they focused solely on themselves and forgot about other countries.
"It is not right that Russia is using energy supplies as an economic lever to gain control over its neighbors," Mikser, a Social Democrat, said at a meeting with members of a delegation of the Czech Senate.
"What is still worse is that this has made some Western European countries close their eyes on other unpleasant developments in Russia," he was quoted by spokespeople as saying.
In Mikser's view, Russia's capability to sell gas will decline in ten years, whereas the demand for gas will grow.
"It cannot be a solution that Western Europe is attempting to hook up itself alone to the gas pipeline. Instead, a solution must be sought for the problem of energy on the whole," he said, in what seemed to be a reference to the proposed Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Westerm Europe.
Estonian authorities are due to give a decision in the next few weeks on whether or not they will allow a Nord Stream survey to take place to assess the feasibility of routing the pipeline through the Estonian exclusive economic zone.
The president of the Czech Senate, Premysl Sobotka, said that the European Union must not leave Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia without attention, and that it is important to help the democratic processes in those countries too.
Sobotka spoke more specifically about Belarus, pointing out that there is a separate committee in the Czech Senate following the developments in Belarus.
Estonia, too, pays a lot of attention to these countries, said Mikser. Speaking about Bealrus, he said that no dictatorship lasts forever.
It is important not to miss the chance to direct these countries toward democracy, the head of the parliamentary committee added.
Indeed, the Baltic countried may soon play a much more active role in Belarus than they do at present. Autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko has approved measures aimed at reducing Belarusian dependence on Russian gas that include a cutting the share of natural gas for Belarus' energy needs from 80 to 50 percent by increasing the use of fossil fuels and nuclear energy.
Currently, 90 percent of Belarusian energy comes from Russian resources. Lukashenko's plan anticipates tapping into alternative sources from the Caspian, Black Sea and Baltic Sea regions. Belarus is believed to be exploring the possibilities of importing coal via Baltic sea ports and possibly even Venezuelan oil, which would also likely arrive via Lithuanian or Latvian ports.
There is even a remote possibility that Belarus could become the latest country to sniff around the planned Ignalina nuclear power plant, following a similar overture from Ukraine. It is highly unlikely that Belarus would be admitted to the project, but perhaps even less attractive would be the prospect of Belarus building its own nuclear plants just across the border with the EU.
