MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. An agreement about Gazprom’s payment of $2.9 billion following the court rulings is mutually acceptable, but not a concession from any side, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak told reporters on Saturday.
"I think we cannot say that it is someone’s concession. It is a mutually acceptable solution which is verified and which is beneficial to everyone," he said answering a relevant question. According to Kozak, the decision is mostly "beneficial to European consumers, since there are guaranteed amounts of Russian gas that will be transported through that territory".
Kozak added that at the talks on gas transit, Russia and Ukraine did not touch upon the debt repayment under the ruling of Stockholm arbitration court and the debt on Kiev bonds.
"It is a separate issue. We have numerous complicated issues, but in this case, the debts are however different. There is a public debt and there is a commercial debt of the company. We have claims to Naftogaz Ukraini, to the Ukrainian government. They have claims which have not been considered yet. Everything should be recalled, made null and void, while an irrevocable settlement deal should be struck so that the issue could be closed," he said when asked about the two debts.
"Plenty of other issues could have been tied up with this one. Then we would definitely not have agreed. It is a separate issue. It was divided to achieve agreements as soon as possible," he added.