MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister on Thursday dismissed allegations the country would use its vast energy resources as a way of producing pressure to get its own way in the international arena.
Speaking to Bulgarian national television ahead of a Balkan tour, Sergei Lavrov said: "It would be right to talk about developing an optimal balance of interests between energy-producing and energy-consuming countries, and not about our alleged intention to use mineral wealth as a lever for pressuring other countries."
He said Russia was facing difficulties in finding this balance with former Soviet republics currently undergoing a "painful" transition to market principles.
Russia holds approximately one-third of the world's natural gas reserves, and ranks in the top ten countries for oil reserves. It has come under fire in recent months for its energy policy, in particular following a bitter spat with Ukraine around New Year's that saw supplies to its neighbor cut off and consequently a dip in supplies to consumers in Western Europe.
Lavrov said Moscow was examining ways to engage interested European companies in the development of hydrocarbon deposits in Russia, but said that the issue of Russian energy supplies had been "excessively politicized."
"We think that all aspects of this problem should be considered exclusively from the economic angle, based primarily on facts and appropriate assessments of collaboration prospects," Lavrov said.
