Gas supplies to Belarus resumed

Gazprom confirmed Belarus had paid for Russian gas deliveries.

The company said it resumed gas supplies to Belarus in full, RIA Novosti informs.

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller had a telephone conversation, president’s spokesperson Natalya Timakova told journalists.

“Miller told the president in a phone conversation that the Belarusian party had paid in full for the gas supplies under the contract terms, and Gazprom took a decision to resumed full gas deliveries to Belarus,” Timakova said.

Belarusian deputy PM Uladzimir Syamashka said yesterday the Belarusian party had borrowed 200 million dollars and paid $187mn of gas debt to Gazprom at 4 pm.

The Russian gas company estimates Belarus’s debt at $192 million. Belarus accumulated the debt as it didn’t pay for gas supplies in January-April under the contract. The contracted price for the country was $169.2 in the first quarter of the year and almost $185 per 1,000 cubic meters in the second quarter, but Belarus paid $150 per 1,000 cubic meters. Syamashka explained the country had counted on a decreasing coefficient. When a 50% stake in Beltransgaz was sold to Gazprom, it was supposed that the parties will start working on an equal profit principle by 2011, but it became obvious that Russia is falling behind, he says.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka stated on Tuesday he had gone to his friends to borrow money to settle the debt to Gazprom.

At the same time Minsk demands Gazprom should pay for gas transiting by 10 am Thursday, otherwise the transit of gas will be suspended. Lukashenka promised to halt the transit yet in Tuesday, after gas cuts had reached 30%.

According to Syamashka, a debt of $260 million has been accumulated in the last two months of 2009 and five months of 2010, as the Russian gas giant paid only $1.45 per 1 cubic meter per 100 km, but the Belarusian party expects the company to include a multiplying coefficient in the transit fee.

Gazprom agrees it owes Belarus for transit, but says it is the blame of the Belarusian party. Gazprom’s official representative Sergey Kupriyanov said Tuesday if Belarus wanted the transit paid, it should sign appropriate documents but not bargain on price.

Russia didn’t say a size of the debt for gas transiting.