Ukraine's joining to European Energy Community one of obstacles to creation of gas transport consortium for management of Ukrainian GTS, says Russian Ambassador

Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov has said that Ukraine's joining to the European Energy Community is an obstacle for creation of an international gas consortium for the management of Ukraine's gas transport system (GTS) with the participation of Russia's gas giant Gazprom.

"There is an idea to create a gas consortium with the participation of Russia and Ukraine or Russia, Ukraine and a European gas consumer, for example some German company. And creation of such a consortium could help to regulate the issue related to restrictions envisaged by the so-called second and third energy packages, which don't give Gazprom a chance to become a member of the gas consortium without some internal restructuring, which is unacceptable for the Russian side," the ambassador told journalists in Kyiv on Sunday.