Arseniy Yatsenyuk commissions to improve protection of Ukrainian gas pipelines

The Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced at a session of the Government on Wednesday, June 18.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk addressed Naftogaz and Ukrtransgaz, law enforcement and security agencies to urgently improve the protection of Ukraine’s gas transportation system.

Referring to the explosion which occurred on June 17 on a section of the GTS in Poltava region Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed: “We forecast several weeks ago that certain sabotage cases would be planned and aimed at undermining the reputation of Ukraine as a reliable transit country and legitimizing the construction of the South Stream pipeline.

The Head of Government accentuated the South Stream project wasn’t just designed to ensure diversification of gas supplies to Europe, “but to eliminate Ukraine as the country which is one of the key suppliers to the European Union”: “Henceforth, it is absolutely understandable who is interested in undermining the trust to the Ukrainian gas transportation system”.

“Ukraine declares it is a reliable transit country. We have fulfilled our liabilities and will further stick to our commitments in terms of natural gas transportation,” the PM stressed.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk reminded that the Ukrainian party had suggested the European partners to jointly upgrade and exploit the Ukrainian gas transportation system. Ukraine also made a proposal to swing gas on Ukraine-Russia border instead of Ukraine-EU border: “It will enable to guarantee, on the one part, flawless gas deliveries, on the other – to attract our European partners to functioning of the Ukrainian gas transportation system and to demonopolize the Russian gas monopoly”.

The Head of Government informed that relevant bills had been readied by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk commissioned the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry in synergy with the European partners to carry out a joint monitoring of natural gas supplies via the territory of Ukraine: “We are ready to conduct combined monitoring of gas pumped into Ukraine’s gas storages. We are transparent in this issue and believe that the European partners, as true partners, will be interested in that”.