BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/12/2006

Gazprom proposes payment scheme to Belarus

RBC, 26.12.2006, Moscow 14:57:32.Russia is proposing that Belarus pay $75 per one thousand cubic meters of natural gas in cash and $30 in Beltransgaz shares, Gazprom chief Alexei Miller told Vesti TV today. This price has been set taking into account that Gazprom accepts the appraisal value of Beltransgaz of $5bn, on which Belarus is insisting. Coming from this figure, if a joint venture were to be established on the basis of Beltransgaz with equal participation of the parties, Russia's stake would be estimated at $2.5bn.

As a spokesman for Gazprom, Sergei Kupriyanov, told Vesti earlier, Belarus would be expected to pay for Russian gas in assets in installments for a period of four years.

However, talks with the Belarusian delegation regarding the gas price for 2007 and the payment scheme are still ongoing in Moscow. No agreements have yet been reached. The current gas supply contracts between Russia and Belarus expire on December 31, 2006.

Source:

http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20061226145732.shtml