BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

30/12/2006

Gazprom warned Belarus about market prices in March - letter

MOSCOW. Dec 30 (Interfax) - Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom (RTS: GAZP) warned Belarus back in March 2006 that it would seek to charge market prices for its gas exports to the neighboring country, according to a letter from Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller.

"Gazprom is forced to take account of objective world trends, primarily the rapid growth of prices for gas not only in Western European markets but also in trade between Russia and CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries and within the Russian Federation," Miller said in a letter to Dmitry Kazakov, general director of Belarussian gas transmission company Beltransgaz, dated March 30.

Interfax has obtained a copy of the letter.

"In view of these consideration, the management of OAO Gazprom considers it necessary to go over to market terms that are in tune with the European level in gas supplies to consumers in the Republic of Belarus from January 1, 2007," Miller said. as

Source:

http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11656360