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Slovak Security Council Discusses Threats to Russian Oil Supplies
Monday 28 December 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, January 28 (TASR) - Members of the Slovak Security Council on Monday discussed the possibility of Russian oil supplies being suspended. The Government Office has stated that a risk is posed by unresolved problems between Russia and Ukraine in terms of the transport of oil.
The meeting was initiated by a letter from the EU Commission's Directorate General for Energy and Transport stating that Russia, in line with an early-warning system, has announced the possibility of oil supplies to Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic being suspended.
Russian oil-transport monopoly Transneft on Monday accused Ukrainian politicians of introducing new "unacceptable" conditions for the transport of oil via the port of Yuzhny. The company said that it will suspend supplies if agreement isn't reached soon. Ukraine is demanding higher fees for oil transit and guarantees vis-a-vis the minimum volume of oil transported.
Transneft CEO Nikolai Tokarev said that negotiations are underway and that he hopes to reach agreement before the end of the year. He also said that supplies may be suspended if Ukraine insists on its conditions. "It's clearly an issue concerning Ukraine's internal political problems," said Tokarev as to the core of the dispute.
Yuzhny is the only Ukrainian port through which Russia still transports oil to the West. At the beginning of 2009, Russia suspended supplies via Odessa. In 2008, Russia exported over 15 million tonnes of oil via both ports, which was enough to keep a large refinery supplied for a year.
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