Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mykola Tomenko of the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko believes that a time out in the negotiations with Russia on gas supply agreement was taken because the Ukrainian authorities plan to meet Russia's demand to reorganize and privatize Ukraine's gas transportation system and the national gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy.
"It is obvious that Russia doesn’t want to sign the agreement because it has put forward tough requirement: the privatization of Ukraine’s gas transportation system and the reorganization of the National JSC Naftogaz Ukrainy with the controlling stake going to Russia," Tomenko’s press service quoted the politician as saying on Tuesday.
According to the lawmaker, during the next plenary week the Verkhovna Rada intends to include into its agenda the bill on amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine to ensure the reform of the oil and gas industry.
The draft law, in particular, envisages that the reorganization (merger, joining, division, separation, transformation) of the state-owned enterprises, subsidiaries of the National Joint-Stock Company Naftogaz Ukrainy controlling shipments via trunk and distribution pipelines, and storage in the underground storage facilities, and of Naftogaz Ukrainy are made by a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
The press service recalled that a constitutional majority in the Ukrainian parliament earlier passed a decision to ban the privatization or transfer of the assets of Ukraine’s gas transportation system. The current legislation bans privatization or reorganization (merger, joining, division, separation, transformation) of the state-owned trunk pipeline enterprises.
