Georgia even with payment for transit of Russia gas to Armenia wants to keep benefits
TBILISI. Jan 9 (Interfax) - Georgian Deputy Prime Minister, Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze said that until now an agreement has not be reached with the management of Gazprom Export on the conditions for the transit of Russian natural gas to Armenia in 2017.
"We have met with Gazprom representatives twice already and have not managed to reach agreements," Kaladze told journalists on Friday.
He said that the next meeting will take place, although the date has not yet been determined.
"We [Georgia] have a position that even if Gazprom's proposal is adopted, the envisaged approach for a financial payment for transit, then Georgia in this case should receive the same benefits as from the received natural gas," the minister said.
It was reported that the last two rounds of talks between the Georgian Energy Ministry and Gazprom, at which the parties could not reach a compromise, took place on December 13 in Vienna and December 23 in Minsk.
Meanwhile, almost a week has already gone by after the validity of the current contract on the transit of Russian gas to Armenia expired.
Talks between the Georgian Energy Ministry and Gazprom are being held on the basis of an agreement from 2003, which is renewed annually. With the extension of the agreement on gas transit, Russia has already for the second year insisted that the payment for its transit through Georgia be carried out not in kind, but by using money, a condition to which Georgia has not agreed, Georgia wishes to maintain the previous form of payment and receive 10% of total transported gas.
Georgia consumes about 2.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year, the main supplier of which is Azerbaijan.
