U.S. welcomes the Naftogaz unbindling
The United States commends the approval of a roadmap on the cooperation of the Supervisory Boards of Naftogaz of Ukraine and Mahistralni Hazoprovody Ukrainy PJSC aimed at full and transparent separation the function of the GTS operator in Ukraine. This was stated by Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) at the U.S Department of State Francis R. Fannon during a meeting with Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze. "The process of separating the function of the operator of the gas transit system (unbundling) must be completed by the beginning of 2020, after the current gas transit contract with Gazprom expires", said the Vice Prime Minister.
The parties also discussed a wide range of issues, in particular, the threats from the Nord Stream 2 project implementation and Ukraine's interest in investments from the United States.
According to the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, the expertise of the US expert is now of paramount importance for the energy security of both Ukraine and the European Union. In the time of hybrid confrontation, we must prevent geopolitical speculation, especially in such a strategically important area as energy, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze stressed. Nord Stream 2 is a purely political project that undermines the unity and security of the European Union and Ukraine. It is critically important to us that it finds clear understanding in the United States", emphasized the Vice Prime Minister.
The Assistant Secretary of State assured that the United States will prolong its support for Ukraine in reforming the energy sector, in particular through technical assistance, expert evaluation and the promotion of Ukraine as an attractive country for investment. "I recently returned from Brussels, where I had a number of important talks on energy issues. There I saw the undisputed support for Ukraine", stressed Francis Fannon. The United States acknowledges Ukraine's progress on the path of reforms, and now it is vital for Ukraine to follow the chosen path. Meanwhile, Francis Fannon added that the US stands ready to continue investing in Ukraine, as there appeared a number of opportunities for joint businesses. The Assistant Secretary srtessed that Ukraine could be a promising market for American investment.
In turn, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze assured that the Government of Ukraine is open to cooperation and would contribute in every way to new investment projects from the United States.
Moreover, she noted that the priority for Ukraine in the energy sector remains the integration into the EU energy market. "The results of the Ukraine-EU Summit have provided a clear guidance of where we will move, and de facto integration into the Energy Market is undoubtedly the top priority of our reforms. In this context, by the end of this year, the Government, together with the EU side, should develop a roadmap to achieve the aforesadi goal", summed up Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
