Russia to examine pipeline access issue from standpoint of development strategy
KYIV. May 18 (Interfax) - Russia will examine the issue of access to its gas pipeline system in the context of the strategy for development of the gas sector, President Dmitry Medvedev said in Kyiv on Tuesday at a meeting with business leaders at the seventh annual Ukrainian-Russian economic forum.
Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Ministry Yuriy Boyko and several Ukrainian business officials urged Russia to provide assistance in transporting the gas that Ukrainian companies produce in Central Asia or receive in payment for services.
Medvedev responded that "this is a topic that is never ruled out, but is never bilateral. It always depends on our agreements with the Uzbeks and the Turkmens."
There have been various schemes for exporting gas from Central Asia, and "far from all have stood the test of time," Medvedev said.
The resolution to that issue "must fit with Russia's strategy for development of the gas sector," he said.