#26 - JRL 2009-133 - JRL Home
Russia's reaction to Nabucco deal 'calm' - diplomat
Interfax

Moscow, 14 July: Moscow has calmly reacted to the signing of an intergovernmental agreement on building the Nabucco gas pipeline, but calls not to politicize the implementation of the project.

"The Russian side has calmly taken the signing of the intergovernmental agreement on the Nabucco gas pipeline project on 13 July in Ankara that involves Turkey and four EU countries - Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria," a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told Russian news agency Interfax.

"We assume that the issues of the implementation of the project are often groundlessly politicized and are used to hype up the unfounded subject of overcoming excessive energy dependence of European countries on Russia," the source said.

"We proceed from the fact that any projects of gas transport networks should be based on economic expediency, first of all, and not geopolitical ideas," the source added.

He said he was convinced that "it cannot be said about Nabucco yet". "In our view, there is still no clarity on the issue of guaranteed resource base, and in these conditions investment risks increase manifold," he added. He went on to say that "all this leads to a situation where the dates for Nabucco implementation are constantly postponed".

"Moreover, we do not share the viewpoint that the Nabucco project is a rival to the South Stream gas pipeline supported by Russia," the source added.

"We proceed from the fact that the gas volumes supplied via these pipeline systems will be in demand in European countries," the source said.

The source also said that "the South Stream project is far closer to being implemented". "It is economically grounded from the point of view of efficiency, guaranteed resource base, constant demand for the supplied gas and the investment component," the source said.

Bookmark and Share - Back to the Top -        

-

Bookmark and Share

- Back to the Top -        


 
 
---->
  Follow Johnson's Russia List on Twitter