By Country / Russia
Uzbekistan Reportedly To Charge Russia More For Gas
December 08, 2006
December 8, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Uzbekistan is raising the price it charges Russia for natural gas by two-thirds.
Russia's Interfax news agency quotes officials at the national oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz as saying the price will increase to $100 per 1,000 cubic meters from a current $60.
Interfax says a deal to that effect was signed on December 7 in Tashkent by Aleksei Miller, the chief executive of Gazprom's natural gas monopoly.
The independent Uzbek uzmetronom.net website also confirmed that an agreement was reached.
Gazprom says in a statement that Miller discussed next year's gas purchases with his Uzbek partners, but makes no mention of any price.
The company says it expects to import 9 billion cubic meters of Uzbek gas this year.
Uzbekistan is considering selling its gas to neighboring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan at an average price of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters starting January 1.
Turkmenistan and Russia this year significantly increased the price of their supplies to other CIS countries.
(Interfax, gazprom.ru, uzmetronom.net)