Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Slovakia opened gas reverse from Slovakia to Ukraine

The Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico and Director for Internal Energy Market of the European Commission Klaus-Dieter Borchardt put on commercial stream Vojany-Uzhgorod pipeline in Veľké Kapušany (Slovakia) on Tuesday, September 2.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk on behalf of the Government of Ukraine expressed gratitude to the Government of Slovakia at the solemn ceremony of the opening of the pipeline “for assistance and real cooperation to ensure energy security. We face huge challenges and the energy security is one of the key challenges".

"We replaced 40% of gas, which we had previously bought in Russian Gazprom company to gas, which we purchase and transport from Europe, due to the opening of the reverse from Slovakia and opportunities for Ukraine to buy gas in Europe", the Prime Minister stressed.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk underlined Ukraine had done a lot of crucial decisions on energy efficiency and energy security of the country".

He recalled that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine had adopted the law, which "allows exclusively European and American companies to gain share in the operator company for the management and operation of the Ukrainian gas transportation system and the Ukrainian gasholders. I address on behalf of the Government to our European friends, so that EU member states invest into the Ukrainian gas transportation system."

"We need unity, unified approaches in the policy and economy, unified approaches in the energy sector. And our joint work by one hundred percent will ensure as supply as transit of gas, if we together operate and modernize the Ukrainian gas transport system," he said.

The Head of the Government of Ukraine noted that Europe requires new energy rules: "honest, transparent, clear, which will not allow someone to create a monopoly on the energy market. Monopoly is a road to nowhere, as in the economy and in the energy sector. Therefore, competition, market transparency and efficiency of protection of our join with the European Union energy security are the only right way".

"Our way is also the diversification of energy supplies. We are demonstrating the reality of diversification today," he said.

In addition, according to Arseniy Yatseniuk, it is necessary to provide energy efficiency: “Reduction of consumption and new types of fuel and energy resources, including green energy, alternative sources".

Arseniy Yatsenyuk appealed to the Prime Minister of Slovakia: "We have a very large amount of collaborative work”. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the European Commission: "Even six months ago, few people had hoped that by our common efforts we will be able to buy from the European Union to 10 billion cubic meters of gas. This is a very big step forward".

"We have overcome all political and technical difficulties and we demonstrated - we are united. And if we are united, we are strong," said the Head of Government.