(Source: Daily News Bulletin; Moscow - English)
BRUSSELS. Jan 2 (Interfax) - Russia does not see reasons for the European Union to mediate in negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv on settling their gas dispute but will continue to fully inform the EU leadership on the progress in the talks and on its efforts to resolve the dispute as soon as possible, Russian Permanent Representative at the EU Vladimir Chizhov told Interfax.
To this end, Gazprom plans to send a delegation to Brussels, Chizhov said.
"Russia, Ukraine, and the European Union should be involved in discussing the entire spectrum of energy security problems. However, it is necessary first to resolve the current particular problem between Russia and Ukraine," Chizhov said.
"I don't think that Russia and Ukraine need mediators in the talks, which Gazprom and Naftogaz can hold skillfully enough," he said.
"And besides, it would be somewhat strange to make the principal consumer of Russian gas a mediator," he said.
Despite the Christmas and New Year's holidays, when the EU governing bodies do not work, Russia is actively explaining its position to its European partners and informing them of the current state of affairs, he said.
On Friday, Chizhov met with European Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs and sent an official note to the European Commission to inform it about Gazprom's willingness to dispatch its officers to Brussels to explain the situation. Chizhov also met with EU representative for energy security Steven Everts and sent letters to European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering and the Czech Republic's EU presidency office.
"The European Union governing bodies are displaying understanding of our explanations," he said.
Unlike a similar situation in 2006, Gazprom's and Ukraine's steps have not come as a surprise to the EU now, as Gazprom had warned all of its European clients about the possible crisis beforehand, he said.
"They were psychologically prepared for this situation and accumulated extra reserves of gas in underground storage facilities in the countries where there are such. As of mid-Friday, none of these countries recorded a fall in the pressure of the incoming gas," he said.
"We are acting absolutely transparently based on the market principles of gas supplies, which were confirmed by the G8 in St. Petersburg in 2006," he said.
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