BRUSSELS, March 6 – Energy Community Secretariat Director Janez Kopac (Slovenia) said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine that Kiev had not officially invited the community to help settle Naftogaz Ukrayiny's $7 billion dispute with Gazprom.
While commenting on the recent exchange of statements between Kiev and Brussels on this issue, Kopac said: "The secretariat is ready to assist Ukraine as a contracting party of the Energy Community in resolving problems as much as we possibly can. Two aspects need to be emphasized in this context: we need to be formally involved by the competent Ukrainian authorities. And we are limited to providing assistance… We're unfortunately not a body with executive, decision-making powers. Not even within the Energy Community and even less so for contractual relations between a contracting party and a third country," he explained.
|