Chief of the Foreign and Regional Mass-Media Office of the Information Policy Department of Gazprom Denis Ignatyev (L) and Vice Chairman of Gazprom, Gazexport's Director General Alexander Medvedev (R) attend a press conference in Gazexport's headquarters.
Photo: Êèðèëë Òóëèí
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Gas Truce
// Belarus began repaying the debt to Gazprom
The supplies of Russia’s natural gas to Belarus will not be reduced so far. Gazprom received on Friday the first $190 million out of the $456.16 million which Minsk owes for gas. The remaining sum is to be transferred to Gazprom next week. Meanwhile, Washington expressed deep concern over the Moscow-Minsk gas standoff.
At 10:25 a.m. on Friday, $190 million came to Gazprom’s account in Gazprombank. It is the first tranche of Belarus’ debt of $456.16 million. The remaining sum is to be transferred to Gazprom next week. Gazprom confirmed on Friday that the supplies of Russia’s natural gas to Belarus will not be reduced so far.
However, Gazprom’s spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said that if the remaining money fails to come next week, the Russian monopoly will reduce gas supplies to Belarus by 30 percent.
Meanwhile, Washington expressed deep concern over the Moscow-Minsk gas standoff. Tom Casey, deputy spokesman of the U.S. Department of State, said: “What we'd like to see happen is the Russians and the Belarusian Government work out a reasonable settlement of this issue; to do so in a way that doesn't call into question the viability of the supplies of gas, whether to Belarus or to any of the other countries that are further on down the pipeline.”
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 04, 2007
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