English

Deputy prime minister hands ultimatum to Gazprom

Uladzimir Syamashka, Belarus' first deputy prime minister, warned on Thursday that the flow of gas through the country's territory to customers westward would be reduced if Russia's Gazprom failed to fully pay off its debt, which is estimated by Minsk at $260 million, BelaPAN reports.

The gas giant said earlier in the day that it had paid $228 million to Belarus for gas transit in the last two months of 2009 and the first five months of this year, but the amount fell short of what Belarus had demanded.

"If the payment of $228 million is confirmed, we will draw conclusions from it. The first and main conclusion is that by doing this Gazprom has recognized all this days-long saga as illegal and inconsistent with the contract," Mr. Syamashka said.

Gazprom has paid for gas transit in the last two months of 2009 and the first five months of this year at $1.45 per 1000 cubic meters per 100 kilometers, not at $1.74 and $1.88, respectively, as demanded by Minsk, according to Mr. Syamashka.

"We must warn Gazprom that they must full pay us the amount that they owe us - $260 million. Otherwise, we will be cutting the transit flow of gas in proportion to the unpaid amount," he said.