Germany Prepared to Consider Ukraine Proposal on Gas Consortium

Germany ready to discuss creation of gas consortium offered by Azarov

Executive director of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations Rainer Lindner expressed the opinion that the proposal of Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov to create a tripartite gas consortium is extremely important and offered to discuss this issue at the round table in Berlin with the participation of Ukrainian, Russian and European experts.

Last Saturday, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published the article by Mykola Azarov, in which he offered the Ukrainian GTS to be managed by an international consortium consisting of Ukraine, Russia and the EU.

"The article of Mykola Azarov has attracted much attention in Germany. Our businessmen are interested in participation in the modernization of the Ukrainian gas transportation system," Lindner said in the interview and noted that the Committee is ready to coordinate the project.

German political analyst Alexander Rahr in his comments also stressed that an international consortium would be an effective way to solve the problems of energy security of Europe. According to him, at the time when Europe is increasingly using shale gas and LPG, the EU, Ukraine and Russia should make better use of the existing gas transportation system.

In turn, the Bundestag deputy Karl-Georg Wellmann said that the issue of reliability of gas pipelines is of strategic importance for the three parties: "The West should take a constructive approach to the proposal of Azarov and immediately begin high-level talks with Ukraine and Russia to discuss the configuration of the consortium."

Source: For.Um