Why "Naftogaz" Doesn't Hurry to Continue Negotiations with Miller?

The chapter of "Gazprom" Alexey Miller confirmed readiness of the Russian gas holding to renew negotiations with "Naftogaz" any time.

"Today Oleg Dubina (chairman of board NAK "Naftogaz Ukraine") phoned me and informed that he planned to arrive to Moscow on January, 8 to continue negotiations", - Miller said at a meeting with the prime minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

"We are surprised with such position as situation with transit of the Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine develops very dramatically and it's not clear why "Naftogaz" of Ukraine is not going to negotiate nearest two days and observe it from the side", - the chapter of the holding said.

"We are ready to continue negotiations any time", - Miller assured.

He reminded that the Ukrainian party interrupted negotiations on December, 31, 2008 and till now didn't return to negotiating table.

From editorial board: Miller plays cunning. He realizes why Ukraine does not hurry up to renew negotiations and, obviously, is madly happy that Dubina is going to Moscow on January, 8 and not on March, 8. "Gazprom" doesn't have the trumps.

"They got drunk with success, the same way as a part of their investors", - "The New York Times" refers to words of the main strategist of hedge - fund Red Star focused on the Russian Federation James Fenkner in connection to aspiration of "Gazprom" to become the world's largest company. "It's difficult to imagine better mousetrap than the one they invented, - it adds, - and they have got into this mousetrap as they completely depend on the prices for oil. Such situation couldn't be changed for better".

Situation from the Ukrainian side was described in detail yesterday on FORUM.msk by Michael Delyagin. It's hardly necessary to add something. While position of "Gazprom" was in detail commented by the same "The New York Times":

"One year ago the Russian gas monopolist "Gazprom" applied for a rank of the world's largest corporation. Moving forward on a wave of the high oil prices and enjoying political support of the Kremlin, by then it already occupied the third place in the world on the size of capitalization, lagging behind only Exxon Mobil and General Electric. But today "Gazprom" appeared in a deep debt pit and already negotiates about state support. Sizes of its market capitalization or total cost of all shares of the company from the beginning of the year decreased for 76 percent. Instead of becoming the world's largest corporation "Gazprom" slid on 35 place".

It's in general is clear what is happening with gas, the basic good of Russia: for "gas war" Russia chose (if it was it to choose) the most improper time. There is an obvious decrease in consumption of gas in Ukraine both because of crisis, a stop of industry and because of extraordinary warm November and December. But there same situation is also in Europe - very warm autumn and falling of industrial production, besides it has big stocks, bigger, than in Ukraine and "Gazprom" is not the only supplier.

Russia also had warm November and December, there is also a slump in production, because of it own gas storehouses are "up to here" and there is actually no way to use it. While there are debts of "Gazprom" which are very great and very soon it will be necessary to cover them somehow.

Again "The New York Times" from abroad slanders on our reality: "After the fifth anniversary of record-breaking high prices for natural gas the sum of the debt of "Gazprom" makes 49,5 billion dollars. For comparison: the total sum of the cumulative debt of the state and private sectors of India, China and Brazil for 2009 makes 56 billion dollars. It is estimation of Commerzbank". By the way, another state monopolist "Rosneft" also has the debt of more than 18 billion dollars.

So that to finish off our souvenir democracy finally it ascertains: "The fact that the largest in Russia state power company asked for help so quickly after record rise of prices for oil in the last summer speaks a lot about this restless period. Being once a symbol of pride of terrible reviving Russia, "Gazprom" today became evident certificate of fast economic recession of that petrostate".

Let's notice, the matter is not in "Gazprom" as such but in how this pearl of the Russian economy is being operated appointees of Putin and he himself.

How could it happen so that for years of oil-and-gas boom investments in infrastructure of the branch appeared so insignificant that the first impact of crisis lowered "Gazprom" from the third to 35 place in the world and yet it's not a bottom?

Why "Gazprom", being world leader of extraction of gas, did not invest a copeck in manufacture of a gas condensate to have an opportunity to deliver gas in any economic zone of a planet and not just to connected with us by direct gas mains Europe? How it turned out that deliveries of the Russian gas completely depended on position of the transit countries? Whether we are Turkmenia, having no exits into the global ocean?

Why our system of gas transportation is arranged so that we cannot deliver blue fuel into the countries of Southeast Asia, to China, to India?

Where is a pipeline in a bottom of Baltic Sea about which we were telling different fairy tales during the whole year?

There is only one answer: all years of exclusive foreign trade conjuncture responsible people were concerned only with one - larceny. When people gathered themselves fabulous wealth on export of natural resources of the country estimated in tens billions of dollars speak about larceny of gas by Ukraine, the Russian proverb "One thief robs another" is being recollected.

Sirs desired to poop into the golden toilet bowls, while it was necessary to invest not into the brilliants for navels of telestars but into infrastructure of that branch which fed them in two throats.

Now, having stolen up to eyeballs, sirs will send "Gazprom" and "Rosneft" to the hammer. Why not? It's not own...

Аnatoly Baranov

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