Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka criticised yesterday the agreement by Russia’s Gazprom and its Western counterpart firms on the extension of the Nord Stream gas pipeline as a project that would destabilise Ukraine, and said he expects it to be discussed at the nearest EU summit.
Prague, Sept 13 (CTK) – Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka criticised yesterday the agreement by Russia’s Gazprom and its Western counterpart firms on the extension of the Nord Stream gas pipeline as a project that would destabilise Ukraine, and said he expects it to be discussed at the nearest EU summit.
Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) said, in a debate on Czech Television, that he does not understand the silence the European Commission keeps on the matter.
In connection with the Gazprom-Western firms agreement, he mentioned the valid sanctions the West previously imposed on Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.
Within the Nord Stream deal, “the companies agreed on a reduction of the strategic character of Ukraine and of Ukraine’s revenues from the [Russian] gas transit,” Sobotka said, adding that the deal would similarly afflict Slovakia.
He said he doubts European solidarity in a situation where the EU agreed on joint sanctions to be imposed on Russia due to the latter’s approach to Ukraine.
“The EC’s position is largely incomprehensible, as the EC keeps silent on such as step [Nord Stream deal] without criticising it,” Sobotka said.
Czech opposition Communist party (KSCM) chairman Vojtech Filip, who also appeared in the discussion programme, said he believes the Nord Stream deal also means destabilisation of the Czech Republic, which, too, has revenues from the Russian gas transit westwards.
“They want to sink not only Ukraine but also our country,” Filip said, adding that the Czech Republic might be forced to start paying transit fees to Germany one day.
Gazprom and its European partners signed the deal about the planned extension of Nord Stream, through which Russian gas flows to Germany and further to Central and West Europe across the Baltic Sea bottom.
From the beginning, the project was initiated by Russia’s interest in the pipeline being independent from the gas transit via Ukraine.
In the debate, Sobotka and Filip showed differing views on the EU-Ukraine association agreement, on which the Czech Chamber of Deputies is to take the ratification vote on Thursday.
Sobotka said the agreement will lead to stabilisation of Ukraine as it binds Kiev to introduce democracy and the rule of law, including a free competition of political parties and the observance of human rights.
Filip said the present Ukrainian leadership violates all principles the EU is based on. He spoke about the promotion of the fascist ideology by Kiev and about repressions against the Ukrainian Communist party.
“If they want an association agreement, they should start behaving in harmony with it,” Filip said.
Sobotka said the ratification of the EU-Ukraine association agreement is one of the Czech government’s priorities.
He said the agreement would meet with sufficient support in the Czech lower house, but problem may lie in possible further delays of the crucial vote.
The Czech Senate, the upper house of parliament, supported the ratification of the agreement last December.
