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Attempts to explain temporary difficulties with last winter's deliveries of Russian gas to Europe by Moscow's using the "gas weapon" or giving "an asymmetric response to the third energy package" show complete misunderstanding of what happened last winter, and of relations between Russia and the EU, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Anatoliy Yanovskiy told Interfax news agency on 28 March.

"It would be naive to think that difficulties with the deliveries (of Russian gas to the EU) in February were caused by deliberate actions by the management of some companies or by the government," Yanovskiy said.

Speaking at a briefing in Brussels, he complained that this interpretation by the Western media "significantly harms" Russia's relations with the EU.

"Europe is the main market of energy resources for us. This concerns gas, oil and coal, and of course we are interested in maintaining and expanding the market," Yanovskiy said. He continued: "Therefore, any disruption to deliveries of energy resources has a negative impact on our economic performance, our companies and the country's economy as a whole."

Russia's approach to the Trans-Caspian and Nabucco gas pipeline projects differ, Yanovskiy told reporters.

According to Yanovskiy, all numerous forecasts of the consumption of gas in Europe show that "objectively gas production in the countries of the European Union is declining and the EU's needs for gas are increasing".

"In this regard, in our opinion, the Nabucco project, as well as other projects that are aimed at ensuring long-term gas supplies to the EU, have their place on the large European market," he said.

He said that the situation with the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline was "somewhat different".

"We believe that the implementation of any project must comply with international law. Since the legal status of the Caspian Sea is not defined or regulated yet in a relevant agreement by the countries in the region, we believe that attempts by two countries from this the region, supported by the EU, to resolve this issue are in conflict with international law," he said.

Keywords: Russia, Gas, Energy - Russia, Europe - Russian News - Russia

 

Attempts to explain temporary difficulties with last winter's deliveries of Russian gas to Europe by Moscow's using the "gas weapon" or giving "an asymmetric response to the third energy package" show complete misunderstanding of what happened last winter, and of relations between Russia and the EU, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Anatoliy Yanovskiy told Interfax news agency on 28 March.</