Georgian economy minister: “We do not agree to receive Russian gas under this unreal price”

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Georgia will give its response to Russia concerning imports of gas from Gazprom for next year when the time comes, Georgia’s economy development minister Giorgi Arveladze told reporters in Turkey, commenting on a letter sent by Gazprom to Georgian authorities, where it proposes to Georgia to determine as soon as possible the amount of gas Georgia needs in order to sign appropriate contracts. The gas is offered to Georgia at the price of $235 for 1,000 cubic meters.

“Russia will have our answer when the time comes. But our position is the following, and we have already announced it: we do not agree to receive gas at such an unreal price. We are working on it to secure alternative gas delivery for Georgia and we have much success in it. Thus, let our Russian colleagues not being too hasty to have a certain response from us,” Giorgi Arveladze said.

Energy Minister Nikoloz Gilauri declined to comment on the proposal of the Russian side. “The talks with Gazprom are held only by private companies, it is the matter of their concern, we shall see what results will be,” Nikoloz Gilauri explained. Four Georgian receivers of gas are having talks with Gazprom – KazTransGazTbilisi, Energy Invest, Itera-Georgia and the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation.

Commenting on the negotiation process concerning gas delivery from Azerbaijan and Turkey, Nikoloz Gilauri said that “with Azerbaijan an agreement has been reached on general amounts of gas supply,” and now “talks are being held concerning the day-by-day schedule for January and February.” “We have already discussed the general amount for next year as well. Now we are discussing the issue of how Georgia can compensate Turkey for such action in future. It can be done for example by importing electric energy or maybe it will be a purely political decision. The discussion will continue up to December 21 in the frameworks of the visit of the Georgian delegation to Turkey,” Nikoloz Gilauri said.

As Gazprom Spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov told reporters, in its letter Gazprom asked the Georgian counterparts to determine as soon as possible what amount of gas Georgia intends to import from Russia next year. “Only a few days are left before the new year, we have no contracts, and we need to determine the balance of gas starting from January 1. So, we urged, as we have been doing for a long time, but now decided to do it in written form, that amounts of gas needed by the Georgian side should be determined in the shortest possible time,” Sergey Kupriyanov is quoted as saying by a REGNUM correspondent. Kupriyanov added no answer has been received yet.