Gazprom Warns Europe Of Possible Supply Disruptions
December 27, 2006
Aleksei Miller (file photo) (ITAR-TASS)
Gazprom has threatened to suspend gas supplies to Belarus on January 1 if Minsk refuses to pay the new rate of $105 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas -- more than twice what it currently pays.
The company says Belarus could negotiate a reduction if it hands over a 50-percent share of its state-controlled gas-transport network.
Belarus has responded by saying it will not allow Gazprom to send gas through its pipelines unless a deal on 2007 gas prices is reached by the New Year. It has also threatened to siphon off Russian gas bound to Europe in the event of a gas shutoff.
Miller today accused Belarus of adopting a "destructive position." He said that Gazprom was not "Santa Claus" and that Belarus should not expect any gifts on New Year's Eve.
The dispute comes exactly one year after a similar row with Ukraine briefly disrupted Russian gas deliveries to several European countries.
(compiled from agency reports)