Gazprom on EC investigation: If cap fits, wear it

MOSCOW - The deputy chief of Russian gas giant Gazprom, Alexander Medvedev, has said that the European Commission is playing a dishonest game in relation to the company in response to the Brussels regulator leveling charges of monopoly.

"There is the saying, if the cap fits, wear it. In this case it should be on the head of the European Commission," Medvedev said.

First of all, he said, Gazprom was a pioneer of market reforms on the European market. Secondly, the company continues to suffer from obstructed access to gas pipelines, and third, Gazprom adheres to the laws of the countries it operates in.

"I hope that we will be able in a regime of dialog to resolve the questions that have arisen for the commission. I plan to meet soon with the commissioner for competition and, looking him in the eye, discuss all the issues," Medvedev said.

"As for the domineering market position, we work exclusively on the basis of contract terms, so all inquiries about price reviews must be justified and as a rule the future of prices is resolved at the negotiating table," he said.

Medvedev said that Lithuania, "which is one of the provocateurs of the investigation," does not have its own understanding regarding the parameters of the contract that it would like to discuss with Gazprom. "Moreover these issues have been resolved for the long term with a major gas buyer [in Lithuania] Achema," he said.