Gazprom Meeting Ends without Agreement

TBILISI - The recent annual meeting with Gazprom representatives ended without results. As Vice PM of Georgia, Minister of Energy, Kakha Kaladze told reporters, the views of Gazprom did not coincide with the views of the Government of Georgia.

Kaladze said that the Georgian Government does not want to change existing conditions to the Agreement:

“The agreement on transit is signed annually. They said we should receive financial reimbursement. We have been receiving 10% of the transited natural gas as the cost of transit and as such their new proposal is unacceptable for us,”- Kaladze has said.

Gazprom is the largest Russian gas-producing company, supplying numerous countries – including 25 EU members – with natural gas worldwide.

Georgia's energy minister, former A.C. Milan football star Kakha Kaladze  has held several meetings with Gazprom representatives, stating that Georgia is seeking energy diversification. Kaladze had justified the negotiations with Gazprom before by saying Azerbaijan didn't have the technical ability to supply more gas.

Some believe an agreement with Gazprom will threaten the region's energy status quo and Georgia might become dependent on Russian energy, which, in turn, critics say, could jeopardize Georgia’s West-oriented integration plans.

By Natia Liparteliani