- Putin to Discuss Military Cooperation in India; Pace Urges Russia to Ratify Energy Charter

STRASBOURG. Jan 23 (Interfax) – PACE members believe that Russia should ratify the Council of Europe’s Energy Charter, Marko Mihkelson of Estonia, a PACE rapporteur on the “Peril of Using Energy Supplies As an Instrument of Political Pressure,” said at a PACE session in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

“Russia, which signed this Energy Charter in 1994, should ratify this document,” he said.

The Estonian parliamentarian argued that the need for Russia to ratify the document was evident following the dispute with Ukraine in January 2006 and a similar energy dispute with Belarus in January 2007.

As many as 46 PACE members signed in to take part in debates on the report, and some 40 amendments have been proposed for a draft resolution, an Interfax correspondent reported from the session.

The main objections from the Russian delegation were prompted by an amendment proposed by Georgian deputies. They insisted that the resolution include the following provision: “The Assembly is concerned about the fact that the gas market in the Russian Federation is extremely monopolized by Gazprom. The Assembly believes that all Council of Europe members would be interested in opening up the gas pumping system to internal and external competition to ensure enough investment in gas production and transportation to cover domestic needs and fulfill export obligations.”

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