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Russia-EU summit in Yekaterinburg to focus on economic issues, shale gas

According to Dvorkovich, after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, Europe has been demonstrating a tendency of rejecting nuclear energy

MOSCOW, May 21 (Itar-Tass) - Economic topics, including the use of shale gas, will be discussed at the Russian-European Union summit in Russia’s city of Yekaterinburg, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told journalists on Tuesday.

“The issue will be discussed in detail within the framework of the Russia-EU summit due in a span of several weeks in Yekaterinburg,” he said. “Issues of our cooperation with Europe in the gas and energy sectors will be in the focus of attention, and afterwards political signal will be given.”

According to Dvorkovich, after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, Europe has been demonstrating a tendency of rejecting nuclear energy. “It leads to changes in Europe’s energy balance,” he noted. “The role of gas will only grow. And it looks highly improbable that it could be completely replaced by alternative energy sources.”