What are the criteria for selection of partners in general?

- There are a number of criteria that apply exclusively to business and commercial matters, and this is quite understandable, but, among other things, there should be a block of security criteria, as well as what could be conventionally called noncontradiction or coincidence of interests. What does it mean? For example, this is precisely the prerogative of the Ukrainian Parliament itself, the criterion that those companies that are interested in the Ukrainian gas transportation system, but at the same time taking part in projects which do damage to the gas transportation system and the interests of Ukraine, I mean Gazprom's offshore projects such as Nord Stream-2 or Turkish Stream, can not participate in the management of the Ukrainian GTS.

What about the terms of selection, what should they be? 

The issue of forming a consortium for the management of the GTS or part of the GTS, most likely, if to speak frankly, can not be delayed too long. This year is a decisive one. We will do this during the second, or maximum, third quarter, and thus we will form a certain alliance and counterbalance to Russian intentions to implement Nord Stream 2, or if we delay this process, then this will be an additional argument for Gazprom and its supporters in Europe that you see there is a continuity of uncertainty, incomprehensibility, and therefore nothing else is said to remain as supporting the Nord Stream 2 completely. Therefore, I think that the period of the next two quarters is decisive.