OREANDA-NEWS. June 17, 2010. Gas transport system will remain the property of Ukraine. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov stressed this in an exclusive interview with the BBC Ukrainian Service that he gave while on a visit to Luxembourg.

Answering the questions of a BBC journalist on if "a gas pipe remains in Ukrainian hands", Mykola Azarov said: "We have been talking openly and honestly for many years and earlier, being in power, and then in opposition, and again now: we offer the EU, as I has said this once again today, and also Russia, and it's also in our interests – firstly, to determine the amount of gas transit. For a long period, for 10 years to come Europe must give guarantees to Russia that they will buy Russian gas, and Russia must give guarantees to us that these volumes of gas will be pumped via our gas transport system, and will not be building bypass transport routes that will make our system unnecessary. We should obtain such guarantees. In exchange for these assurances, we are ready to consider the participation of the EU and Russia in the management and modernization of Ukraine's GTS.

However, as the Prime Minister stressed, the gas transport system would remain the property of Ukraine. "I do not think it will surprise our Russian partners, because they understand that any state doesn’t want to lose such a valuable asset", said Mykola Azarov.