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Ukraine may leave European Energy Community

“Ukraine has the right to withdraw from the Third Energy Package, if our interests are not taken into consideration,” Viktor Yanukovich stated

KIEV, November 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said on Wednesday his country might leave the European Energy Community.

“Ukraine has the right to withdraw from the Third Energy Package, if our interests are not taken into consideration,” he said in an interview with Ukraine’s TV channels on Wednesday.

At the time when the European Union conducts talks on a joint energy policy with Ukraine, five EU member-states sign an agreement to lay the South Stream gas pipeline bypassing Ukraine, Yanukovich said.

“This violates Ukraine’s interests, but we are partners,” he said. “Why do you violate your obligations? This is the direct violation of the EU’s Third Energy Package.”

The annual gas transit through Ukraine’s gas pipeline network reduced to 70 billion cubic meters and “if it goes down lower than 60 billion cubic meters, the gas pipeline network will lose its cost-effectiveness,” Yanukovich said.

“We need to always be vigilant and to prevent our interests from being violated,” he said, adding that Ukraine had been in talks with the EU, but not achieved desirable results so far.

Ukraine signed a protocol on accession to the Energy Community Treaty on September 24, 2010.

Ukraine’s gas pipeline network operated by Urktransgaz stretches over 38,600 kilometers. Its input capacity totals 288 billion cubic meters and its output capacity — 178.5 billion cubic meters, including 142.5 billion cubic meters to European countries and 3.5 billion cubic meters to Moldova.