Russia is Ready to Amend and Consequently Ratify Energy Charter – Kudrin, Washington, April 22 – RIA Novosti, Alexei Berezin. “Russia is ready to amend and consequently ratify the Energy Charter”, Alexei Kudrin, the RF Finance Minister, stated in his speech at the Carnegie Foundation in Washington.

“Our European partners ask us about the Energy Charter, in particular, when we are going to join it. We have just informed them that we are ready to work on amendments to the Charter, and finally to ratify it”, the Minister said.

He emphasized that at present the Charter has “a number of weak points”.

“A number of articles dealing with investment protection have been suspended in the operating Charter, the article on transit was not properly elaborated – and this problem has only aggravated since new member states joined the EU. Their transit status changed”, Kudrin said.

He also pointed out the lack of nuclear energy chapter in the Charter. “We think that in order to provide a real security for this sector on mutually beneficial terms, the Charter needs some modification, and than it might be a certain guarantee of production and supply security”, the Minister underlined.

He also emphasized the fact that the USA did not yet join the Charter.