MOSCOW, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said Saturday the Russian energy group Gazprom will begin monitoring gas transits through Ukraine. Topolanek said the international monitoring efforts are part of an oral agreement between the European Union and Ukraine. RIA Novosti reported Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called for a written version of the deal to solidify it. "I hope you will manage to persuade our Ukrainian partners to sign the documents to create mechanisms of control," Putin said. Under the agreement, experts from the Ukrainian energy group, Naftogaz, will serve as gas transit monitors in Russia. The agreement is the result of demands by Russia for international monitoring of gas piped through Ukrainian territory. Russia had cut off all gas supplies to the European Union in an attempt to bring about such an agreement.
Topolanek said the international monitoring efforts are part of an oral agreement between the European Union and Ukraine. RIA Novosti reported Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called for a written version of the deal to solidify it.
"I hope you will manage to persuade our Ukrainian partners to sign the documents to create mechanisms of control," Putin said.
Under the agreement, experts from the Ukrainian energy group, Naftogaz, will serve as gas transit monitors in Russia.
The agreement is the result of demands by Russia for international monitoring of gas piped through Ukrainian territory. Russia had cut off all gas supplies to the European Union in an attempt to bring about such an agreement.
(UPI)
He was also emphatic that questions of payments for technical gas (needed to push transit commodity to Europe), payments for transit itself, and prices for deliveries to Ukraine are not anyone's business but of Russia and Ukraine.
Martin Riman, Czech trade and industry minister, said that the current situation (stoppage of transit) is unprecedented in 4 decades of Russia-Europe gas trade, in effect saying that 2006 was not "Russia stopping gas transit to Europe".
Nordstream will happen anyway. Southstream still has other unresolved issues beofre it happens. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
To make more or less firm conclusions on what was the prevalent driver of the conflict (BTW, Yushenko secretariat just accused Tymoshenko of openly siding with Russia and aiming at political defeat of Yushenko... Russians say that negotiations were stopped in late December at Yushenko's direct order - the political/financial fight in Ukraine has been intense), we have to wait and see the parameters of the Russia-Ukraine contract.
What Russia has achieved, IMHO, is rationalization of the Russia-EU gas trade. Analysis and negotiations should become easier. Finland and Sweden won't be able to block or delay North Stream any longer. On the other hand, Europe now could rationally allow Slovakia and Bulgaria to restart their nuclear power plants, Germany would do the same, and in the long run Russia will be forced to rely on LNG more than it would have liked.
And finally, the grey trade should become harder with international monitors around. Purely on these grounds, non-transparent part of the trade must go down, which would help a lot.
