Valdas Adamkus

During his visit to Davos for the World Economic Forum, President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus met with President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Gillani Syed Yousaf of Pakistan.

The Lithuanian and Azeri leaders discussed changes in energy security after Russia had cut gas supply to Western Europe across the Ukrainian territory.  The presidents also talked about alternative energy supply projects, including the acceleration of the Nabucco gas pipeline project.  It was noted in the meeting that countries were more supportive of energy diversification projects now that they had suffered from a shortage of gas.

President Adamkus asked for Azeri support to the candidature of Ina Marčiulionytė nominated by the three Baltic states for the position of UNESCO Director General. The issue of support for the Baltic candidature was also brought up in the meeting with the Prime Minister  Gillani Syed Yousaf of Pakistan. According to the President, support from Pakistan as a member of UNESCO Executive Council would be highly appreciated in this matter. President Adamkus underlined that Lithuania, being a small country free of ethnic internal tensions, was prepared to develop the initiative of UNESCO intercultural dialogue.

The President and the Pakistani Prime Minister also talked about the situation in the South Asian region in terms of security. President Adamkus expressed hope that Pakistan would remain an important partner in ensuring stability in Afghanistan and a reliable ally of the West in the fight against international terrorism.

Mr. Adamkus and Mr. Yousaf exchanged views about the global economic and financial hardship, with a focus on the issues of energy security.