Russia's Gazprom refuses to abide by final and binding awards of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce regarding gas supply to Ukraine and gas transit via the country, the press service of the national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrayiny reported after the negotiations with Gazprom held last week, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
"At that meeting, Gazprom made it clear that the Russian gas monopoly refuses to resume deliveries to Ukraine as ordered by the Tribunal in the Gas Sales Case concluded in December last year, and refused to confirm that it will pay the 2.6 billion dollars which the Tribunal ordered it to pay in the Gas Transit Case award which was rendered in February," Naftogaz said.
Both arbitration awards are final and binding on Gazprom, the company said.
Naftogaz said that "Gazprom's position in the meeting was instead to amend the contracts or to terminate the contracts to reverse the decisions of the Tribunal. Both positions are in direct contravention of and disregard for the decisions in the Arbitral Awards rendered by the Stockholm Tribunal. Naftogaz finds this position unacceptable and has rejected Gazprom’s proposals to this effect."
The parties agreed to have another round of negotiations in April.
"Gazprom’s refusal to honour valid arbitration awards by an internationally valued and respected commercial arbitration tribunal seriously questions Gazprom's trustworthiness as a partner to the European gas industry. It is also endangering the respect for contracts as such with its unlawful withholding of payments due under the decisions of the Tribunal," Chief Commercial Officer of Naftogaz Yuriy Vitrenko said.
As reported, referring to European Commission Vice President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission expects Gazprom to comply with the awards of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce.