Current winter should speed up creation of a trilateral consortium ( Ukraine - Russia - EU) on modernization of the Ukrainian gas transportation system. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov said this, speaking to students at the University of Latvia.
"This year's unusually cold winter has shown that not all is well with providing gas supplies to Europe. There is cold weather in Italy and the country is getting gas at 15% less. And we say: "Why do not you invest money in upgrading our GTS?" We have the possibility of gas supply at the output of 150 billion cubic meters, and after upgrading - 200 billion cubic meters", - Mykola Azarov said.
But he stressed that Russia has to ensure supply of specified volumes of gas.
However, the PM said that if there was the political will of the EU and Russia, such a consortium would be established long ago: "If there were a political will, such a consortium would be created long ago".
(text and photo - Department of Information and Communication of the Secretariat of the CMU)