Russia's Ivanov: gas pipelines would be beneficial for Poland
During the first day of his visit in Poland, Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said the controversial gas pipeline project should be considered in the context of the energy security of the whole of Europe. Ivanov said, however, that the gas pipeline from Russia to Western Europe should have an economic justification and that it would be beneficial for both Poland and Russia. Poland has been concerned that the decisions were being taken without its participation and demanded equal partnership in the talks. The Polish government also wanted the new gas pipeline that would ship Russian gas to Western Europe to go through Ukraine, to which the Russian side did not want to agree. Moreover, it has been found out that the existing pipeline is accompanied by a fibre-optic telecommunication line that could be used for providing voice and data connections of Russia with Western Europe without any transit fees for Poland. Ivanov commented that the information highway that runs along the Yamal gas pipeline was a matter of a deal signed by the companies involved in the project, and that to his knowledge, no solutions contrary to the interests of Poland were accepted.
Źródło:IntelliNews Daily
