Poland sets conditions for agreeing to the Yamal gas pipeline's second stretch
Poland's conditions for agreeing to lay an additional stretch of the Yamal gas pipeline on Polish territory include re-negotiation of the 1993 and 1995 Polish-Russian gas import agreements. Poland now wants to buy more gas from Norway to diversify its supply sources, as well as exclusion of the private company Gas Trading from EuRoPol Gaz, the Polish-Russian company set up to build and run the pipeline. The Russians also want to connect the existing pipeline with Slovakia, thus bypassing Ukraine, which so far has been enjoying Poland's strategic support. The Russians have been accusing Ukraine of siphoning 1.5mn cubic meters of gas over the year. During his visit to Ukraine, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said that no final decision had been taken on the construction of a pipeline bypassing Ukraine, but added that economic issues, such as construction of oil or gas pipes or motorways should not be employed for political goals. Another controversy has been the possible route of the new pipeline through the Polish territory, as the one proposed by the Russians would have little use for the Polish industry. kp,bb
Źródło:IntelliNews Daily
