RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR ON UKRAINE GAS DEBTS*

Views on BG | October 4, 2001, Thursday // 00:00

Russian news agency ITAR-TASS

Ukraine will have to report every year how much gas it uses and how much it transports through its territory to Europe, the Russian ambassador to Ukraine, Viktor Chernomyrdin said. Chernomyrdin, Russia`s former prime minister of five years, told reporters on Thursday, when Russian prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov came on a working visit to Kiev, that Ukraine will also have to report its own gas output. These terms `can become key ones in the signing of an agreement between the governments of Russia and Ukraine on the restructuring of the Ukrainian gas debt`, Chernomyrdin said. He said these conditions were proposed to Ukraine to ensure it `does not export to the West at world prices the Russian gas which is buys at a cheaper price for its own needs`. The price policy is very important for Russia, a main exporter of gas to Europe, Chernomyrdin said, adding that Russia does not object to Ukraine`s exporting the gas of its own output, but wants such deliveries to be agreed with it. Kasyanov and Ukrainian Prime Minister Anatoliy Kinakh are to meet later in the day for discussing the restructuring of Ukraine` gas debt. They agreed at their meeting in late September that Russia will reschedule the gas debt for 12 years with a three year concessionary period, a term of Ukraine`s accord with the Paris Club of creditors. Moreover, Ukraine`s gas debt to Russia is recognized as corporate and not the government`s. According to the Ukrainian fuel and energy ministry, Ukraine exported 800m cubic metres of gas to Bulgaria and Poland in the first eight months of this year. Experts predict that Ukraine`s gas output will increase 1.2bn cubic metres, to 19.3bn, and its exports to 1.2bn cubic metres by the end of this year. Ukraine expects its gas output to increase to 25bn cubic metres by 2004 and its exports to Hungary, Slovakia and Poland to make 7bn cubic metres.

* The title Changed by the Editorial Staff of Breaking News

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Views on BG » Be a reporter: Write and send your article

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria