BRUSSELS, October 14. /TASS/. The European Union and Russia are interdependent in the energy sphere, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Thursday in his weekly blog.
"The EU is dependent on Russia for fossil fuel imports, but the Russian economy and state also need the revenues of our energy imports," the official said.
Russia is meeting its contractual obligations but does not deliver extra volumes to the EU, which led to the price increase, Borrell said. "Our energy dependency is one of the key issues in our relations with Russia. Russia is meeting its contractual obligations on gas deliveries, but is not putting additional gas into the European system as it could do, hence contributing to drive prices upward," he noted.
Moscow remains "the vital actor," Borrell noted. "We share a continent with Russia and it remains a vital actor on numerous fronts. We therefore have no alternative but to develop a principled, balanced and strategic approach," he said.
"Energy issues are one important reason why the EU needs to become more cohesive in its relation with Russia and preserve the unity of purpose among its member states. This has not always been the case in the past and to face this crisis we need to make progress in this direction," the EU official said.