Companies@UA: База компаний Украины

Moscow, August 6 (Interfax) - The Russian government has accepted a proposal by the Energy Ministry not to join the international Energy Charter on energy efficiency and related environmental aspects.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed an order endorsing the decision on July 30.

Russia signed the Energy Charter and the protocol to the Energy Charter in Lisbon on December 17, 1994.

The government order also approves a draft note to be delivered to the Portuguese government by the Foreign Ministry.

It notes that Russia did not temporarily enact any provision of the charter that would have violated Russian law.

"Russia does not consider itself bound not to undertake actions that would deprive the charter and protocol of their object and goal," the note says.

The Energy Charter entered force in April 1998. The 1991 Energy Charter was declarative in nature and was aimed at strengthening international energy ties. The treaty itself, signed in 1994, is a binding, multi-state treaty encompassing the entire energy production and distribution chain, from exploration to final use, as well as all energy projects and all associated energy equipment.

Russia criticized the Energy Charter after its gas conflict with Ukraine in early 2009, and drafted a replacement treaty, which it said would better balance the interests of energy consumer countries, energy producer countries and energy transit countries.