Former energy vice-minister: Deal with Statoil gives Lithuania a trump card in negotiations with Russia

Last week, Lithuania signed a historic contract of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply with the Norwegian company Statoil. Even if the price of gas set by Statoil will be somewhat higher than the one Lithuania pays now, it is important that, for the first time in history, the country has an alternative to Russian gas, says Romas Švedas, former deputy minister of energy and lecturer at the International Relations and Political Science Institute of Vilnius University (VU TSPMI).