Official says Russia won't ratify Energy Charter Treaty

Russia will not ratify the Energy Charter Treaty in its current form, Sergei Ryabkov, head of the Foreign Ministry's department in charge of relations with the E.U., said Monday.

"The current version (of the treaty) is unacceptable," he said. "In particular, it contains a number of clauses that discriminate against Russian energy companies."

Russia signed the Energy Charter Treaty in 1994 but has not ratified it so far.
The treaty seeks to integrate former Soviet countries and Eastern Europe into global and European energy markets.
Russia has been reluctant to accept the Energy Charter Treaty provisions under which it must give foreign companies access to its oil and gas pipelines.

Tensions between Russia and the E.U. over energy policy were exacerbated by the E.U.'s recent adoption of rules restricting investments of foreign energy companies, including Russian gas giant Gazprom,
and by the consideration of a bill restricting foreign investments in the Russian parliament. E.U. politicians have also expressed concerns about Europe's dependence on Russian energy, Gazprom's plans to expand in the region and disruptions in Russian gas transit to the E.U.