Senior Ukrainian diplomat says Ukraine does not back South Stream project

ANKARA (A.A) - February 2, 2012 - The senior Ukrainian diplomat said on Thursday that Ukraine was not supporting the South Stream project. Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Sergiy Korsunsky said that his country did not back the South Stream project, and personally he thought that it was a project that could not be fulfilled. "It does not bring a solution to Europe's natural gas problem," Korsunsky told AA correspondent in an exclusive interview. South Stream  is a proposed gas pipeline to transport Russian natural gas to the Black Sea to Bulgaria and further to Greece, Italy and Austria. The project is seen as rival to the planned Nabucco pipeline. The completion is due by 2015. Korsunsky said the project had a high coast, and it posed an ecological threat as the pipeline would be constructed beneath the Black Sea, which was full of hydrogen sulphide. The senior diplomat defined the project as totally political, and said it was also a problematic project as it could not be an alternative to the Russian gas.  Korsunsky referred to the Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline project signed between Turkey and Azerbaijan, and said it would carry Azerbaijani gas to Europe via pipelines to pass through Turkey. "This is a realistic project, and I hope it will be accomplished. This project will be an alternative to Europe," he said. Korsunsky said Europe supported that project, and personally he did not think any problems would occur. The Ukrainian ambassador said Turkey assumed significant role in gas transfer, and Turkey was advantageous thanks to its geographical location between countries owning natural gas like Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan and Europe. The Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline would carry Caspian gas to Europe, he said. Korsunsky said Turkey was surrounded by seas, which made it easier for Turkey to transport natural gas from other countries by ships.  The diplomat said Ukraine considered Turkey a significant energy partner, and Ukraine was thinking of buying Caspian or Qatari natural gas which would be transferred to terminals in Turkey. Ukraine was spending so much on natural gas, and therefore it was trying to solve the problem with alternatives, Korsunsky said. Korsunsky said Ukraine would naturally continue to cooperate with Russia, but was also willing to purchase natural gas via Turkey. On bilateral relations, Korsunsky said Turkey and Ukraine had a significant trade volume, and were cooperating in energy, transportation, tourism and construction, and hoped that relations would go on in the same way. Korsunsky said Turkey and Ukraine had high-level dialogue, and had set up joint working groups on oil exploration and production. The diplomat said the two countries were lifting visa procedures, and Turkish and Ukrainian airline companies had signed code-sharing agreement. Korsunsky said Turkish-Ukrainian trade volume was 5 billion USD in 2011, and expressed pleasure with the projects of Turkish companies in Ukraine.   Moreover, Korsunsky said Turkish companies were taking part in preparations for Euro 2012 that would take place in Ukraine, and noted that Turkish ENKA company had constructed a stadium in Donetsk.   Korsunsky has a doctorate thesis on energy, and has six books and more than 120 academic articles.