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Ukraine Begins Gas Maneuvers
// The route from Iran to Europe will detour around Russia
People's Friendship
Ukraine has proposed to Iran that the two countries work bilaterally to start preparations for the construction of an Iran–Europe gas pipeline. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko said the other day that the project was a priority for the country and should be realized in the near future. Yesterday it was learned that, last Sunday, that Ukraine's fuel and energy minister and Iran's oil minister had signed a memorandum providing for the choice of one of two gas pipeline routes in September and an accelerated start of construction. Kiev has already developed a pipeline project that would detour around Russia. Gazprom is absolutely opposed to its construction without Russia's permission.
Naftogaz Ukraine officially announced yesterday that it planned to participate in the construction of a gas transit pipeline from Iran to Western Europe that would most likely detour around Russia. There are two proposed routes for the pipeline: Iran–Armenia–Georgia–Russia–Ukraine–Europe and Iran–Armenia–Georgia–Black Sea–Ukraine–Europe. These routes have already been discussed for several years. However, the memorandum of understanding signed in Teheran last Sunday makes provision for a five-country meeting [i.e., including Russia] before the end of September in the context of preparing for and realizing one of the transit options for Iranian gas, exchanging information, and determining the authority of the companies that will be involved in the project.
Gazprom said yesterday that it had not received any offers from the Ukrainian side to participate in the choice of route for the Iran–Europe gas pipeline. Without Gazprom's consent, neither of these routes can be constructed, since the first route would pass through Russian territory and the second, along the Black Sea floor, where construction of a new pipeline intersecting the Blue Stream pipeline is impossible without Russia's permission. Naftogaz responded with assurances that all interested parties, including Gazprom, would be able to take part in the talks in September. However, Sergey Titenko, Ukraine's deputy minister of fuel and energy, told Kommersant yesterday that it was planned to build the pipeline along the Iran–Armenia–Georgia–Ukraine–Europe route with 550 km of pipe laid on the Black Sea floor from the Georgian port of Supsa to Feodosia. Given the worsening of relations between Ukraine and Russia in the area of gas policy, there can be no doubt that the Ukrainian government is attempting not only to search for alternative sources of gas supplies, but also to put tactical pressure on Gazprom with the aim of getting additional volumes of gas that could be immediately reexported.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of July 26, 2005
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