Rusland heeft geen reden om EU geen gas te leveren (en)

The Czech EU Presidency believes that there is no reason to delay any further an immediate resumption of gas supply to the European Union through Ukraine.

„Russia has no reason not to restore gas supplies to the EU. I believe the Council will call upon Russia to promptly turn on the gas taps,“ said the Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Ríman upon arrival to the extraordinary Energy Council meeting in Brussels, on 12 January.

„The Terms of reference signed on Saturday and Sunday are valid. Russian representatives stipulated two conditions - the Terms of reference had to be signed by all parties and the observers had to be deployed at the monitoring points,“ he added.

„Both conditions were fulfilled. The monitors are in place and Ukraine re-signed the Terms of reference this morning without making a reference to any unilateral declaration,“ minister Ríman said.

The Czech EU Presidency also confirmed that the Terms of reference for the monitoring of the transit of natural gas through Ukraine were re-signed by the Ukrainian side at 09:00 hours (07:00 GMT) at Kiev airport following an agreement reached overnight. The EU Presidency was represented by the Czech ambassador to Ukraine Jaroslav Bašta.

Contacts:

Tomáš Bartovský, spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic

tel.: +420 224 853 311, GSM: +420 602 508 328; e-mail: bartovsky@mpo.cz

Radek Honzák, spokesman - Coreper I, Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU

tel.: +32 221 39 245, GSM: +32 475 734 018; e-mail: radek_honzak@mzv.cz