UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR MORE REGIONAL ENERGY COOPERATION
TV 5 Kanal, Kiev
5 Jun 06
[Presenter] President Viktor Yushchenko is visiting Bucharest for the
summit – Black Sea Forum: For Dialogue and Partnership. The presidents
of Romania, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia are also taking
part. The main themes of the summit are environmental protection, joint
energy projects, the fight against human and drug trafficking. The
forum will also discuss infrastructure projects. In particular,
Viktor Yushchenko proposed coordinating regional policy in the energy
sector through the framework of the Community of Democratic Choice
[an organization that brings together a number of former Soviet and
East European countries, which was founded in Kiev in December 2005].
[Yushchenko] The Black Sea region occupies a central position in the
transport of fuel from Central Asia to Europe. I am convinced that
regional energy cooperation can be more systemic and effective.
Wishing to optimize cooperation in this sector, Ukraine proposes
to launch a new consultative mechanism, an energy dialogue of three
seas through the framework of the Community of Democratic Choice. We
see its key task as developing a coordinated regional policy in the
energy sector.