OREANDA-NEWS. January 25, 2007. Kazakhstan is proposing that Ukraine takes an active part in the development of that country's gas fields, the press service of Ukraine's Fuel and Energy Ministry reported.

Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan met with Kazakh Ambassador to Ukraine Amangheldy Zhumabaev on January 25.

The Minister informed the Ambassador about Ukraine's initiatives concerning the concept for a common Baltic - Black Sea - Caspian energy transit space, which must be presented during the Energy Summit in Kyiv.

Zhumabaev called on Ukraine for restoration of cooperation, and active participation in the development of Kazakhstan's gas deposits.

Apart from this, Zhumabaev said his country has a stake in the transportation of Kazakh crude oil across the territory of Ukraine through the Odesa - Brody oil pipeline.

On January 9, the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers endorsed a forecast balance of accumulation and distribution of gas in 2008, in keeping with which the total volume of the natural gas resource is predicted at the level of 86,76 billion cubic meters, including 20,325 billion cubic meters of domestic gas, 55 billion cubic meters of imports (the whole volume to be delivered by joint venture UkrGaz-Energo), and 11,435 billion cubic meters of gas to be taken from underground storages.