Natural gas supply contract for 2007 might not been signed or is secret
The Government of Moldova did not announce officially on January 2 about the signing of the natural gas supply contract for 2007 with “Gazprom”, although the document should have been signed on December 28, 2006. “Gazprom” also did not announce officially about the signing of the contract that was negotiated for half a year.
The parties mentioned in the end of the last year only about the meeting of the Moldovan deputy-minister Zinaida Grecianai with the chairman of the Administration Council of the Russian concern, Alexei Miller when they agreed that the price for the supply of natural gas in 2007 will constitute USD 170 per 1000 cubic metres.
Sources from the Press Service of the Government told Info-Prim Neo that they can not offer yet information about the signing of the contract with “Gazprom”. Sources from “Moldova-Gaz” JSC suggested us to ask the chairman of “Moldova-Gaz”, Ghenadie Abaschin, who could no be found at the moment when the news was publicised.
The official web page of “Gazprom” says about the end of the negotiations with Belarus and signing on December 31 of the natural gas supply contract for this country at the price of USD 100 for 1 thousand cubic metres. The contract with Belarus was signed for a period of 5 years and the prices will rise during the next four years to the market prices. For this price, Belarus ceded 50% of the shares of “Beltrasgaz” to the total sum of USD 2.5 bln.
The web page of “Gazprom” was informing on December 26 that it will sign a protocol with the Government of Moldova in the near future. It had to settle the basic conditions of the collaboration of Russia and Moldova in the field of natural gas supply. Also, the protocol will include the increase of the share of “Gazprom” in “Moldova-Gaz” and in the Moldovan distribution companies. It was also agreed that the price of natural gas supplied to Moldova will increase gradually, so that the in 2011 the price for Moldova will equal with the average European price for the Russian natural gas.
Previously, the deputy-minister Zinaida Grecianai has categorically rejected the possibility of ceding the enterprises from the energy field in change for a favourable contract, emphasising that attracting Russian investments will not mean ceding the companies and that “Gazprom” has equal conditions, as well as the other potential investors to participate in investment contests.