You're reading: Opposition to demand energy minister report on talks on signing new gas contracts

The opposition is planning to demand at a regular session of the Ukrainian parliament that Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Boiko report on talks on the signing of new gas contracts, a Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) MP and the leader of the shadow government, Serhiy Sobolev, said at a press conference on Friday, August 27.

He noted that the opposition would not be able to demand Boiko’s report at an unscheduled session of parliament scheduled for August 30.

Sobolev said that according to the parliament’s rules of procedure, during its extraordinary meetings the parliament considers only the issues submitted by the initiators of such meetings and no new issues can be discussed.

At the same time, he said that the next session of parliament would open on September 7 and that lawmakers would then work in committees and constituencies.

Sobolev said that as soon as plenary meetings of parliament start, the opposition would demand consideration of this issue.

"Then we will be able to raise these questions in accordance with the requirements of the rules of procedure, when we demand reports by ministers directly responsible for a certain area. Then, of course, this issue will be put on the agenda," he said.

As reported, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on August 25 that the formula for the price of Russian gas was still disadvantageous to Ukraine, despite a discount of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters, and that Kyiv would ask its Russian partners to change the formula.

This price would be a disaster for the Ukrainian economy and people, and only the agreement concluded between the new Ukrainian government and president in Kharkiv in spring, under which the price for gas was cut by $100, enables Ukraine "to make both ends meet," he said.

It was reported earlier that the last time Azarov declared his determination to urge Russia to revise the gas price was in early May this year. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin had said at the time that Russia did not see any need to revise the price formula.