Gas transit through Ukraine to be resumed once Multilateral Monitoring Commission starts working

“Gas transit through Ukraine will be resumed immediately, once the Multilateral Monitoring Commission starts working in Russia and Ukraine.

The Commission’s objective is to monitor unhindered transit of Russian gas to European consumers across Ukraine. This proposal made by Angela Merkel, German Chancellor and Mirek Topolanek, Prime Minister of Czech Republic presiding over the EU has been accepted by the Russian party at all levels.

The Russian party understands that the Commission will include representatives of the EU, international monitoring organization, Gazprom, Naftogaz Ukrainy and European consumers of the Russian gas. Thus, everybody will know everything.

We have an absolutely open and transparent position, which was supported in the EU as well, according to the information obtained, in particular, as a result of the telephone conversation of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Mirek Topolanek.

At the same time, Ukraine strongly opposes including representatives of Gazprom and the proposed composition of the Multilateral Monitoring Commission in general. There is a question why? Do they have something to hide? That is what every party interested in the resolution of the conflict initiated by Ukraine should think about.

Gazprom is ready to welcome to Russia every party, including representatives of Naftogaz Ukrainy. The problem of Russian gas transit through Ukraine is to be settled at once. We call for Naftogaz Ukrainy and the Ukrainian energy authorities to stop ticking over and finally get down to business,” Sergey Kupriyanov, the official spokesman of Gazprom told reporters.

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Multilateral Commission is to be set up to monitor natural gas transit through Ukraine

Statements by the Ukrainian party of the fact that Ukraine realizes the responsibility for ensuring continuous gas transit through its territory is a mere rant with absolutely no grounds. In violation of the international law, since the beginning of 2009 Ukraine has been siphoning off the natural gas intended for European consumers. Later Ukraine has fully stopped gas transit to Europe. It’s obvious that such a responsible attitude is unlikely to be aimed at meeting transit obligations and ensuring energy security in Europe.

The next step aimed to escalate the crisis situation around Russian gas transit to Europe was taken by Ukraine when it thwarted signing of the protocol on establishing a Multilateral Commission to monitor gas transit through Ukraine. Thus, due to Ukraine’s fault, an independent monitoring mechanism was not created.

We believe that in a situation like this only multilateral monitoring with participation of every stakeholder will provide for secure gas transmission to European consumers through Ukraine, which grossly broke its transit obligations with no respect either to the existing contract, or to the Energy Charter. However, the Ukrainian party refused to form Multilateral Commission of observers with participation of Gazprom, Russian Ministry of Energy, specialized auditing companies and companies purchasing Russian gas. Instead, Ukraine limits participation in monitoring activities only to the Ukrainian party and the European Commission. That means, that our gas transit to our consumers is proposed to be monitored without our participation altogether.

Having considered this, we think it necessary to immediately set up a Multilateral Commission to secure urgent recovery of gas transit through Ukraine to Europe. To facilitate this, top managers of major gas consuming companies will sign shortly the protocol prepared by Gazprom on establishment of International expert commission on transit of natural gas through the territory of Ukraine.

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Statement by Alexey Miller on establishment of Multilateral Commission for monitoring natural gas transit through Ukraine

“In case the Multilateral Commission is set up to monitor natural gas transit through Ukraine, Gazprom will certainly let the Commission observers be operational at the gas metering stations located in Russia along the border with Ukraine,” OAO Gazprom Management Committee Chairman Alexey Miller said.

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Gazprom