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Ladies and Gentlemen,
My dear Colleagues,
And dear guests,

It is a pleasure and honor for me to welcome so many distinguished guests here in the premises of the Lithuanian Military Academy on the occasion of the opening of the Energy Security Center. It is very natural that such a Center will be based here [in Lithuania].

By establishing this Center we respond to the most urgent need of today to address energy challenges that we face on a global scale. Because of the geopolitical environment, Lithuania, as may be no other country understands the necessity

of balancing energy security with economic development and avoiding traps of political expediency.

Furthermore, Lithuania today is favourably positioned to take a broader and more comprehensive look at the issue of energy security. This year Lithuania is in Chair of the OSCE and will be working to facilitate a more proactive dialogue on energy security in this organization. 

In the EU we closely follow the new European Energy Strategy taking shape, with a particular focus on the Infrastructure package. In NATO’s new Strategic Concept we salute the forward looking and at the same time very rational approach to the emerging security challenges, energy security among them. From the point of view of any of those organizations – OSCE, EU or NATO energy security takes important place and needs integral and full attention. 

The Energy Security Centre under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been established in close cooperation with Lithuania’s military and academic communities.

On this special occasion I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who have given us generous support and assistance in the development of this project. The Lithuanian Ministry of Defence as well as the Ministry of Education and Science have contributed significantly by pooling their resources and efforts to make this project happen. Cooperation with the Lithuanian Energy institute, Vytautas Magnus University and the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University has also been of paramount importance.

I would like to acknowledge President Grybauskaite’s advisors (Darius Semaska and Jovita Praneviciute) who from the very beginning were instrumental in guiding our efforts to a successful conclusion. Last but not least, I would also like to thank all our partners in NATO countries who rendered us their valuable support and assistance in getting things done.

The coordinated approach to the establishment of the Center is a good sign that there is will and capacity in Lithuania to address energy security in substance. I am sure, the Center will play an important role in shaping common guiding principles in energy security.

At the same time it will have to produce concrete deliverables to assist NATO with its transformational process.  To do this the Center will have to bring together experts and professionals from different countries. Only by working together we could improve the overall security and stability and be able to mitigate risks. My firm believe is that the Energy Security Center will eventually develop into a  NATO Center of Excellence just to continue working on energy security issues in the context of NATO needs and requirements. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

In conclusion let me invite you to join us in our efforts to advance energy security for all our peoples in the transatlantic area and beyond. I have to admit, we are on a long road to this ambitious goal but as long as there is political will, common sense and cooperation, we stay the course.