Ukraine can count on domestic resources and alternative fuel supplies in the issue of natural gas consumption, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has said.
"Ukraine is now undergoing a very difficult period, through which Georgia has already passed. And, in my opinion, you should end your dependence on gas. One energy supplier is death. It’s easy to use this factor for blackmail," he said in an interview with the Segodnya newspaper published on Thursday.
Saakashvili gave an example when in 2005 Russia interrupted the delivery of gas and electricity to Georgia.
"We did not know what to do, because 90% of our energy resources came to us from Russia. And now we are exporting electricity to Russia – we have found domestic resources! When Russia closed its market to us (and Russia accounted for 70% of the export market in Georgia), many around me thought we’d died," he said.
Saakashvili said that Georgia was currently importing gas from Russia (as payment for gas transit), but it also had another supplier, and several more suppliers in the reserve.
"Russia has taken this lesson into account. Despite the military background, our relations became more orderly and workmanlike. The same situation concerns electricity. [Inter] RAO [UES] owns some power companies in our country, while Itera has some gas distribution networks, because we cannot run these systems on our own. In this sense, we are dependent on Russia. But it depends on us in the same way. Even during the war, we did not stop the sale of electricity in Russia. These things have to be divided," the Georgian leader said.
While anticipating the resolution of the gas conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Saakashvili said: "I think that if we managed to do so, then Ukraine will also be able to do so! You have domestic resources of oil and gas. There is the possibility of other supplies, for example, of liquefied gas, through our region. And the price of gas is now such that it’s worth considering all of the other alternatives. In general, when you approach the limit, and when there is nothing to lose, it’s even good. You have to go faster from a dark tunnel into the light."
