Minsk and Russian energy giant Gazprom may sign a supplementary agreement to the contract on gas transit via Belarus on Thursday, a Belarusian first deputy prime minister said.
Vladimir Semashko said Russia and Belarus agreed that the transit fee will be $1.88 per 1,000 cubic meters per 100 km. He said Gazprom has acknowledged its $32 million gas transit debt to Minsk.
Gazprom has already paid Belarus $228 million to cover its November-December gas transit debt and the debt for the first five months of 2010 based on a $1.45 gas transit fee, while Belarus insisted on a $1.88 fee, which would increase Gazprom's debt to $260 million.
In June, Belarus and Gazprom were involved in a dispute over Belarus' non-payment for Russian gas with Gazprom slashing deliveries and Minsk threatening to suspend European transit supplies. The size of the fees that Gazprom pays for transit to Belarusian pipeline operator Beltransgaz became the last stumbling block in the conflict.
Beltransgaz CEO Vladimir Mayorov said Monday the two gas companies had already finalized the supplementary agreement to the Russia-Belarus gas transit contract.
MOSCOW, July 1 (RIA Novosti)
