LITHUANIA WELCOMES U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN IRENA

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 000319 E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2019 TAGS: ENRG SENV LH SUBJECT: LITHUANIA WELCOMES U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN IRENA REF: A. STATE 59971 ¶B. STATE 61286 Classified By: Charge d'affaires a.i. Damian R. Leader for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On June 12 we met with Vaidotas Karvelis the head of the MFA's Strategic Sector Policy Division, Vaclovas Semaskevicius, Chief Specialist of the Energy Ministry's Renewable Energy Division, and Marijus Franckevicius, the Director of the Lithuanian Energy Agency, to discuss reftels. All welcomed U.S. interest in joining IRENA with Karvelis adding that U.S. membership would encourage "ten to twenty more countries" to join. Although all of our GOL interlocutors understood and appreciated the benefits of locating the IRENA headquarters in the UAE, a European location appears to be their preference. Karvelis said that even though the UAE foreign minister recently visited Lithuania and advocated for IRENA's placement in his country as well as promised 15 million USD annually to fund IRENA operations, a majority in the GOL still favored Bonn. For the DG candidacy, Karvelis told us that the GOL favored the French or the Danish candidate, as the French candidate was the only one who presented herself to the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Danes nominated Lithuania to be on the DG selection committee. Karvelis said that the GOL will vote for the French candidate if France supports Lithuania's candidate for UNESCO. Otherwise, the Dane will get the GOL's vote. ¶2. (C) Karvelis said that the GOL does not have an official position on the future duties of IRENA, as he was not sure if Lithuania would be able to benefit by selling some of its present production of photovoltaic cells and planned production of wind turbines or if it would be a beneficiary of expertise. Semaskevicius and Franckevicius said that IRENA functions are already codified in the statute and that members must determine how much effort to put into the various tasks assigned by the agreement: technical assistance, best practices and technology-sharing. Unlike the IEA, which Franckevicius said is expert in analysis and statistics, IRENA can fulfill these roles. Karvelis said that he expects Lithuania will ratify the IRENA agreement this autumn; Lithuania previously signed the statute and the cabinet of ministers will review it in a few weeks after which it will go to the Seimas (parliament). LEADER