Georgia and Russia negotiating gas transit fee to Armenia
10.01.2017,
17:23
Georgian energy minister Kakha Kaladze, who had a meeting with Russia’s Gazprom Export executives on December 23 to discuss the gas transit fee from Russian exports to Armenia via Georgia, was scheduled to have another meeting today with Gazprom Exports executives in Minsk, Belarus.
YEREVAN, January 10. /ARKA/. Georgian energy minister Kakha Kaladze, who had a meeting with Russia’s Gazprom Export executives on December 23 to discuss the gas transit fee from Russian exports to Armenia via Georgia, was scheduled to have another meeting today with Gazprom Exports executives in Minsk, Belarus.
“Our position is very simple, even if we agree on their terms and move to monetization of the gas transit fee from Russian exports to Armenia via Georgia, the country should get the profits equal to the amount of the natural gas received currently,” Kaladze said earlier on January 6.
Speaking on the matter on January 9, Georgian economy minister Giorgi Gakharia stated that the country’s “major goal in the negotiations” is to have an “objectively-set price” and “an affordable energy.”
“Our goal is to end the negotiations with maximum possible protection of our interests,” Gakharia added.
No agreement was made during Kaladze’s working meeting with Gazprom Export executives on December 23, ten days after the previous meeting in Vienna, Austria.
The meetings are part of the annual negotiations with Gazprom Export to renew the gas transit agreement. Gazprom executives insist on monetization of the gas transit fee from Russian exports to Armenia via Georgia, which is unacceptable for the Georgian side.
Georgia rejected the terms offered by Gazprom last year and following lengthy negotiations an agreement was signed in April, under which Georgia maintained the existing transit terms – 10% of gas transported through Georgia to Armenia.
Georgia receives the bulk of natural gas from neighboring Azerbaijan. It stopped buying Russian gas in 2007. -0-
“Our position is very simple, even if we agree on their terms and move to monetization of the gas transit fee from Russian exports to Armenia via Georgia, the country should get the profits equal to the amount of the natural gas received currently,” Kaladze said earlier on January 6.
Speaking on the matter on January 9, Georgian economy minister Giorgi Gakharia stated that the country’s “major goal in the negotiations” is to have an “objectively-set price” and “an affordable energy.”
“Our goal is to end the negotiations with maximum possible protection of our interests,” Gakharia added.
No agreement was made during Kaladze’s working meeting with Gazprom Export executives on December 23, ten days after the previous meeting in Vienna, Austria.
The meetings are part of the annual negotiations with Gazprom Export to renew the gas transit agreement. Gazprom executives insist on monetization of the gas transit fee from Russian exports to Armenia via Georgia, which is unacceptable for the Georgian side.
Georgia rejected the terms offered by Gazprom last year and following lengthy negotiations an agreement was signed in April, under which Georgia maintained the existing transit terms – 10% of gas transported through Georgia to Armenia.
Georgia receives the bulk of natural gas from neighboring Azerbaijan. It stopped buying Russian gas in 2007. -0-
