20 June 2004 20:10
Russian PM dismisses private ownership of pipelines
Tallinn, 20 June: The private ownership of pipelines is not on the agenda in Russia at the moment, Russian Prime
Minister Mikhail Fradkov told journalists in Tallinn today.
He noted that the government will keep watch over equal access to pipelines but the admission of private and foreign
investors is not being discussed yet.
"I would not link economic growth to the construction of private pipelines," Mikhail Fradkov stated.
Commenting on what Russian Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref said at a government meeting on
Thursday [17 June], Mikhail Fradkov noted that he would not talk of the possibility of ensuring economic growth through
the increase of oil production. "It is the easiest way but not the correct one," the prime minister
believes.
He noted that it is necessary to improve the quality of economic growth by changing the structure of that growth. It
is, however, "necessary to solve transport problems".
[ITAR-TASS news agency] |
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