Ukraine has never opposed the construction of an additional gas pipeline bypassing its territory, President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine said during his visit to Turkey. He also reiterated that “Ukraine has concluded with the president of Russia a clear agreement with European Union approval that the construction of the new gas pipeline will in no way reduce the transit of gas through the Ukrainian pipeline.” Nor does official Kyiv oppose, according to Mr. Kuchma, the laying of a gas pipeline on the Black Sea floor: “All the questions we have about this problem concern the environment.”
Simultaneously, it was reported from Slovakia that its minister of the economy, Lubomir Harach, said after talks with Gazprom CEO Rem Viakhirev that his country would take part in the construction of the new pipeline. After negotiating with Mr. Harach, Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, and chairman of the Slovenski Plynarenske Priemysel SP (SPP) state gas transport company, Mr. Viakhirev said Gazprom is interested in buying a stake in SPP, Interfax-Ukraine reports, quoting the Bloomberg Agency. It points out that SPP, which buys natural gas from Gazprom, makes the most profit from transporting Russian gas to other countries. The new 31 billion cubic meter a year pipeline could further boost SPP’s prestige if the state decides to sell 49% of its 100% company stake next year, the agency notes.
During his visit to Poland, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told journalists at the Warsaw Airport that construction of a new gas pipeline to Europe should not be causing so much emotions and being so dramatized. Poland’s PAP (www.driennik.pap.com.pl) quotes Ivanov as saying that the pipeline is equally useful to Russia and Poland and stressed that “the last word will be said by Polish authorities.” Yet, the Russian foreign minister pointed out, “The interests of the energy security (of Europe — Auth.) should not depend on the will of one or a few states,” adding “Should this option fail, there will be another.”
Shortly before and immediately after the Minister Ivanov came, Polish Premier Jerzy Buzek stressed that Warsaw still adhered to their proclaimed motto of doing nothing about us without us and that his own and the Polish government’s position “is open to partnership and cooperation with Russia.” Mr. Buzek also noted, “I want to underline the word partnership,” PAP reports.
Even if Poland chooses to agree to the construction of a Europe bound gas pipeline bypassing Ukraine, it will want this pipeline to run along a route other than the one proposed by the Russians. “It is important that the transit of gas across Poland should not reduce transit across Ukraine,” Gazeta Wyborcza of November 24 quotes Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek of Poland as saying.
After negotiating with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov, Premier Buzek said his country was interested in building the second extension of the Yamal natural gas pipeline, as the 1993 Russian-Polish agreement sets out. He also said, PAP (www.dziennik.pap.com.pl) reports, that both two sides agreed that participation in the project is the sovereign right of every country with due account of the interests of all countries of this region, not only those of Russia and Poland.
Mr. Ivanov, on his part, confirmed that the decision on Poland’s participation in the new gas pipeline project is the exclusive right of the Polish government and that Moscow is not going to pressure Warsaw. However, he reiterated that if Poland does not agree to the pipeline being laid across its territory, the Russians will look for other ways of delivering gas to Europe, TVP-1 (www.wiadomosci.tvp.com.pl) reports.
