The Moscow State Institute of International Relations – University (MGIMO-U) of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted today a round-table meeting titled “Russia’s External Energy Policy amidst Global Financial and Economic Crisis. Energy Cooperation of CIS Countries: Search for Efficient Anti-Crisis Instruments”. Participating in the meeting were Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko, energy ministers of Belarus, Kirgizia, and Ukraine, high-ranked representatives of the Russian Federal Assembly, delegates from national and foreign authorities and commercial enterprises.

Stanislav Tsygankov, Head of Gazprom’s International Business Department presented a speech at the meeting.

The speaker drew the attention of the audience to the key challenges of European energy security maintenance, highlighting the causes of the January transit crisis in Ukraine and EU’s position in this conflict. Additionally, Stanislav Tsygankov touched upon the prospects for further relations with the EU in the European energy security area as well as their impact on the Company’s mid-term strategy for sales markets and product diversification.

“We are expecting EU’s unequivocal support in definite projects, first of all, in the Nord Stream project currently at the implementation stage as well as the planned South Stream gas pipeline. If Europe really cares for its energy security, it should be aware that the only way of ensuring this security is to diversify gas supply routes while balancing the significance of each of them,” stated Stanislav Tsygankov.