Ukraine assures EC of being reliable gas transitor

Bohdan Sokolovskyi, the President's commissioner for international issues of energy security, has assured representatives of the European Commission that Ukraine has always been and will remain a reliable partner to transit Russian natural gas to Europe.

Sokolovskyi met with the EC delegation at the President's Secretariat on Wednesday.

They focused on reliability of the Russian gas transit by Naftogaz of Ukraine in the close and midterm perspective.

Sokolovskyi assured the Europeans that Ukraine fully abides by the agreements sealed in the joint statement on modernization of Ukraine's gas transportation system dated March 23, 2009.

The commissioner explained the necessity and expediency of mutually acceptable amendments and addenda to the Ukraine - Russia gas contracts of January 19 with the purpose of forming a reliable long-term contractual base and minimization of influence of personal factors on it.

Sokolovskyi emphasized that the President of Ukraine positively takes the tendencies in establishment of constructive relations between SJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine and Russian Gazprom.

The EC delegation expressed the need and preparedness for further joint efforts to put into practice the agreement on modernization of Ukraine's gas transportation system.

The parties decided to continue talks on the issues of energy security in Brussels next week.

On June 9, the European Commission sent experts to Kyiv and Moscow to discuss the gas supply issue.

UKRINFORM