Ukraine should return to forming trilateral gas consortium – expert

It would be expedient for Ukraine to return the issue of setting up a trilateral gas-transport consortium with assistance of Russia and the European Union.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, Center for Studies of Corporate Relations chief Rostyslav Ishcheko claimed this in the course of roundtable “Ukraine-EU: Energy Security Issue” in Brussels on 22 March.

R.Ishchenko is convinced that, under the current conditions, the issues of energy security must be solved by means of trilateral talks and over collaboration between the European Union as an energy resources buyer, Russia as a seller, and Ukraine as a transiter. At the same time, R.Ishchenko stressed that Ukraine needs to return to the idea of creating the trilateral consortium in order to avoid building new roundabout gas pipelines in future.

The roundtable also discussed economical and political issues of energy collaboration between Ukraine and EU, and also the role of Ukraine in energy resources transit to EU.

MEP Irzhi Buzek (Poland) noted that Ukraine could help EU implement its energy strategy, in particular, the provisions, concerning security, reliability, and competitiveness. In particular, he believes Ukraine could help EU reduce its dependence on Russian energy resources, including by means of completing Odessa-Brody pipeline building to Gdansk.

“We want to collaborate with Russia, but we do not want to be too dependant on Russian energy resources”, the MEP stressed.

Meanwhile, deputy president of the committee for economic and monetary affairs Guntars Krasts (right-wing parties group, Latvia) noted that EU would like to see Ukraine as a more reliable partner. The MEP is convinced that Ukraine needs to render transparent its energy market, with refusing from collaborating with companies, the transparency of which is doubtful.

Association for Defense of Private Investments President Oleksander Kamianets focused in his speech upon the issue of the uncertainty at the energy market of Ukraine, which is a potential threat to the Ukrainian economics, as well as to the collaboration with EU. In particular, he expressed an opinion that attempts of redistributing, undertaken at the market of regional energy-distributing companies in 2005 by representatives of Russian businessman Konstantin Hryhoryshyn, did not contribute to the stable operation of the energy market inside the country, as well as to the implementation of export contracts.

Concord Capital investment company analyst Volodymyr Nesterenko introduced investment needs of the energy sector of Ukraine, assessed at 35 billion dollars. In his turn, chairman of the People’s National Security Committee Oleksiy Tolkachov expressed an opinion that the Energy Charter for 2007-2030, effective now in Ukraine, is unreal. He also announced about his intent to strive for its revising in order to outline more exactly the goals and methods of their achieving.

On the results of the meeting, its participants adopted a statement, supporting a wide-scale collaboration between countries-producers, countries-consumers, and countries-transiters of energy resources.