Secretary General's Statement on Interruptions of Gas Supply from Russia to Ukraine

In view of the interruptions of supplies of natural gas from Russia to Ukraine, today, 16 June 2014, Secretary General Urban Rusnak made the following statement:

The Energy Charter regrets the escalation in the gas relations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Since early March, the Energy Charter has drawn the attention to the risk that disputes between Russia and Ukraine can impact transit flows to Europe. By establishing a Contact Group, I have offered the Energy Charter as a platform to exchange information and to enhance transparency on transit flows. I particularly regret that my initiative to collect data on gas flows in real time has not been supported by the parties concerned. In this context, I welcome today's statement by the Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Mr. Yuriy Prodan to secure reliable transit through Ukraine. The Energy Charter Secretariat is ready to provide a platform for the parties concerned, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the European Union, in order to look for mutually acceptable solutions. I also invite all members of the Energy Charter to actively engage in the development of a mechanism providing for transparency and early warning as an important element of energy security.

The Energy Charter Treaty is legally-binding multilateral international treaty, which focuses on cross-border energy flows and international energy investments and currently brings together 54 members and 26 observers. The aim of the Treaty is to strengthen the rule of law on energy issues by creating a level playing field for energy exporting, importing and transit countries.