Ukraine and Georgia will develop the White Stream gas pipeline together

Georgia will take into account the potential of the Ukrainian gas transmission system when studying the White Stream gas pipeline project, said Andrei Goncharuk, deputy head of the Ukrainian President’s Secretariat.

"Such an agreement was reached during yesterday's negotiations between President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko," he said. "Ukraine and Georgia have the opportunity to use their geographical position and energy traction potential in the context of the implementation of European energy policy."

It is worth recalling that on the eve - on the day when the premieres of Tymoshenko and Putin held gas negotiations - the President of Ukraine Yushchenko suggested that President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev urgently change gas contracts, for which "immediate consultations" with him.

- Putin and Tymoshenko talked about Gaza and the Saakashvili tie
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- Delivery of gas to Europe by "South Stream" will cost three times more than through Ukraine

Goncharuk emphasized that one of the priorities of Ukraine is the implementation of projects for diversification of the supply of Caspian hydrocarbons, in particular, as part of a joint project of Georgia and the EU "White Stream", Rosbalt reports.

According to him, the visit of Saakashvili to Ukraine is a logical step in the development of bilateral Ukrainian-Georgian relations and will contribute to the support of the high dynamics of the political dialogue of the two countries and coordinating mutual efforts in order to restore and increase mutual trade.

He added that the intensification of trade and economic cooperation should facilitate the agreement to hold the next sixth meeting of the joint intergovernmental Ukrainian-Georgian commission on economic cooperation approximately in the first half of 2010.

When discussing economic topics at the highest level, the parties focused on the development of energy projects. "Ukraine and Georgia have the opportunity to use their geographical position and energy -transit potential as much as possible in the context of the implementation of European energy policy. One of the priorities of Ukraine is the implementation of diversification projects for the supply of Caspian hydrocarbons, in particular, in the framework of the joint project of Georgia and the EU" White Stream, "Goncharuk said.

In particular, he detailed, during the negotiations of the parties, an agreement was reached by Georgian accounting when working out the project of the White Stream of the potential of the Ukrainian gas transmission system. So, today the Ukrainian GTS has reserves that allow for reliable transit of energy from the Caspian Sea region.

During the meetings of Yushchenko and Saakashvili, they also emphasized the feasibility of further pursuing a coordinated policy on the implementation of the concept of the Caspian-Black Sea-Baltic Energy Trade Space. The implementation of such a component of this project as the EANTK will allow interested parties to diversify the sources of the supply of raw oil, get additional financial revenues from transit, as well as strengthen the energy security of all European countries by creating a reliable route for transporting energy resources.

"In the future, the parties agreed to continue the constructive dialogue on interaction in the fuel and energy sphere in a multilateral format, in particular during the Tbilisi Energy Summit planned for January 2010," Goncharuk said.

Recall, on April 3, the Minister of Energy of Georgia, Alexander Khetaguri and the general director of the White Stream Pipeline Co. LTD Roberto Pirani signed a memorandum of cooperation for the implementation of the construction project of the White Stream gas pipeline.

The project provides for the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to Romania and Ukraine, followed by access to Central Europe. Before the Georgian port of Supis on the Black Sea, natural gas will be sprouted according to the existing Baku -Tbilisi -Erzerum gas pipeline, and then on the underwater pipeline to Romania.

It is expected that the construction of a new pipeline will begin in 2012.