Yushchenko: Consolidation of energy market players is the key to independence

Speaking at the presentation of State Awards in Science and Technology President Victor Yushchenko stressed that recent gas conflict with Russia made clear that disputes about energy resources and energy security itself would intensify with every year.

According to him it is important to draw conclusions from January events and try to present response to the existing challenges. "It is a national challenge. To have energy security means to have independence," he said.

Victor Yushchenko also added that it is obvious that no country is able to deal with the challenges by itself, therefore the question of "our integration into European energy networks becomes more and more topical."