The premiers of Poland and the Czech Republic discussed Monday the possibility of closer cooperation on energy issues in light of the recent gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine, DPA reported. Both countries depend heavily on natural gas piped from Russia and are now looking at alternative energy sources, such as Norwegian natural gas. The meeting in Prague between Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and his Polish counterpart Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz was the first since Marcinkiewicz took office in October. Their energy discussion was designed to set the stage for more detailed talks between their countries' trade ministries next month, and a European Union summit on energy in March. The Russia-Ukraine dispute reduced natural gas supplies in central Europe earlier this month before a price agreement was reached. During his one-day visit to Prague, Marcinkiewicz also met with President Vaclav Klaus.
