Verkhovna Rada Speaker of Ukraine Arseniy Yatseniuk expects that the Russia’s statement about doubling gas price for Ukraine since the beginning of the year 2009 was not based upon political reasons.
According to an UNIAN correspondent, he claimed this in an interview with journalists in Athens on Monday, asked whether Ukraine should raise the issue of increasing tariffs for natural gas transit through its territory.
“I hope the statement about increasing the gas prices, announced not by an economical institution, but by foreign political one, has nothing in common with what they call a political element”, the Speaker claimed.
According to him, gas must not me considered as a factor of influence on the foreign policy. At the same time, A.Yatseniuk believes, the gas relations should be transferred to the level of respective state monopolies – Gazprom and Naftohaz. “Until the moment when we have an agreement on gas-energy relations, everyone will celebrate a new year under a Christmas tree, and Ukraine - under Gazprom”, he said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 6 that Russia will almost double the price it charges Ukraine for natural gas supplies from January 1, 2009.
"This decision stipulates switching to market prices," he said. "The (gas) price for Ukraine will almost double due to this." At present, Gazprom Export, a subsidiary of Russian gas giant Gazprom, supplies Central Asian gas to Gazprom affiliate RosUkrEnergo, which sells the gas to Ukrainian oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy at a price of $179.5 per 1,000 cubic meters.
