After the constitutional change of power in Ukraine, the oil and gas extraction at the Black Sea shelf will be returned to the state, leader of the Batkivschyna Party and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said.
"What is happening in Ukraine [the upcoming transfer of the right to develop the Black Sea shelf to Vanco Prykerchenska] is extraordinary… the future of the countries such as ours lies with the development of the sea shelf – it represents our national interests and energy independence… but today at a government meeting [Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola] Azarov and [President Viktor] Yanukovych are planning to give away the Black Sea shelf… This means that we as a country are going to be deprived of our strategic oil and gas reserves. Who will get the Black Sea shelf? We are told that an American company Vanco will," she said on Wednesday before her interrogation at the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine.
Tymoshenko said that the Black Sea is allegedly being given over to this company. According to her, the charter capital of this company is UAH 12,000.
"Clearly, this is pure fraud. Most important, is that the American company is serving only as a cover. It will be given only a few percent. And the shelf is actually being given to the clans that surround Yanukovych," she said.
"I would now like to take this opportunity to convey greetings to Yanukovych and say that it won’t be so easy to steal the Black Sea from the country… This step is temporary, and when these officials are removed, and I think this will happen very soon, and will happen in a constitutional way, I emphasize, the Black Sea shelf will be returned to the state. And do not listen to talk of strategic investment into the Black Sea shelf," Tymoshenko said.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is planning to approve a draft amicable agreement with Vanco Prykerchenska Ltd (the British Virgin Islands) at a meeting on February 9.
