KIEV, November 23 (RIA Novosti) - Azerbaijan should start natural gas supplies to Ukraine in late 2017, the country’s ambassador to Ukraine Einulla Madatli said on Friday.

“We will deliver gas from Shah Deniz-2 [gas field] around the end of 2017, as stipulated under a memorandum signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2011 in Davos,” Madatli said in an interview with the Ukrainian government newspaper Uryadovy Kuryer.

“We will start with 2 billion cubic meters [a year], gradually increasing deliveries to 5 billion cubic meters.”

Azerbaijan will also supply gas to Ukraine for its liquefied natural gas terminal to be built near the port city of Odessa, the envoy said.

Ukraine has been trying over the past two years to review the existing gas contracts with Russia it describes as onerous and the Russian gas price as inflated.

Simultaneously, Kiev has been looking for alternative sources of gas supplies.