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Gazprom acknowledges debt to Belarusâ€Ž

22 June 2010 08:21 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA-Economics. Gazprom owes Belarus a debt for gas transit via the country but Minsk has made it impossible for the Russian state-controlled gas monopoly to settle it, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told reporters in Moscow on June 21, BelaPAN reports, Belorusskie Novosti reported.

He said that Belarus had failed to produce paperwork needed for the debt to be cleared.

Gazprom`s acknowledgment of the debt came three days after Eduard Tawpyanets, Belarusâ€™ deputy energy minister, claimed that the company owed more than $200 million to Belarus for gas transit through the country.

Speaking about Belarus` debt for gas imports, Mr. Kupriyanov said that "we expect the Belarusian side to make a speedy decision on the settlement of the debt and meet its transit obligations."

Belarus is to pay for May`s gas imports on June 23 and if it continues paying at last year`s price of $150 for 1000 cubic meters, the debt will grow further, Mr. Kupriyanov warned.

Gazprom says that Belarus is to pay $185 for 1000 cubic meters in the second quarter of this year.
"According to the latest data, the debt totals $192 million," the spokesman said.

Belarus will pay off its debt for Russian natural gas within the next two weeks, First Deputy Prime Minister Uladzimir Syamashka told a selected group of reporters in Minsk on Monday.

â€œWe expect that during the next two weeks, weâ€™ll find an opportunity, borrow money, but pay off the gas debt,â€ RIA Novosti quoted Mr. Syamashka as saying. â€œWe donâ€™t conceal that we are short of hard currency to pay for gas promptly. We have to borrow.â€

According to Mr. Syamashka, Belarus is putting forward a counter demand for Russia to pay of a debt of $217 million for gas transit via the country.

On June 21 Gazprom reduced its daily gas deliveries to Belarus from 45 million to 38 million cubic meters, Mr. Kupriyanov said, adding that the Russian gas giant would be cutting gas deliveries to Belarus "gradually" in order not to cause technical problems.

Gazprom considers increasing supplies to European customers via Ukraine if Belarus makes up for the reduction in its imports by passing on less gas westwards.