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Russia, Europe Ease Tension
During their Moscow meeting, Russia’s Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko and Europe’s Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs expressed the will to make concessions when deliberating on the EU initiatives for liberalization of Europe’s energy market. So, the hope has emerged that the summit of Russia and Europe that is to be held in Portugal this week will be efficient.
Russia’s Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko met with Europe’s Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs in Moscow yesterday. Though no negotiations have been held, the parties manifested they are ready to compromise in time of the summit of Russia and EU that will be held in Portugal on October 26.
The energy standoff of Russia and Europe became particularly tense on September 19, when the European Commission presented the so-called third package of draft guidelines on liberalization of Europe’s energy market. Under the document, no companies of Europe or operating in EU that produce gas and generate electric energy may control the network infrastructure.
In Russia, this initiative of the European Commission was viewed as desire to restrict access of Russia’s investors, first of all Gazprom, to the market of Europe. Viktor Khristenko stepped in past week, blaming on the EU the intention to cover Europe by “energy curtain” and threatening to concentrate “energy cooperation” of Russia in Asia.
Yesterday, however, it became clear that the energy irreconcilability of Russia and EU was somewhat exaggerated and that the Portugal’s event could yield some fruit.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 24, 2007
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