KIEV, March 14 (Itar-Tass) — Ukraine and Russia may still agree on a gas export price, a representative of the Ukrainian president in the parliament, Yuri Miroshnichenko, said on Channel 5 late on Tuesday.
“We hope that we will be able to come to agreement with Russia, as the resource in the negotiating process is not fully tapped,” he said.
However, the parliamentarian from the ruling Party of Regions did not rule out that Ukraine “may address to the international court of arbitration to reconsider gas agreements with Russia, if Moscow rejects to conduct talks.”
“The court trial is the last method for resolving disputes and the Ukrainian side hopes for a compromise. If we resolve our discords through the court, I think we will have no prospects for friendly and fair relations,” Miroshnichenko said.
Along with this he underlined that Russia did not refuse to continue gas talks.
“Our colleagues from Russia propose their variants. We’ve been handed over a draft agreement that we are now studying. I think that the negotiating process will be successfully completed,” he said.
Ukraine has been trying to persuade Russia tom reconsider the gas agreements concluded by ex-prime minister Yulia Timoshenko back in January 2009. In particular, Kiev insists on a lower price for Russian gas exports and transition to short-term contracts.