“Beltransgaz” in exchange for Gas :: Charter'97 :: News

Approximate completion date of creation a Russian-Belarusian joint-venture based on “Beltransgaz” was announced in an interview to the Agency of gas information (Russia) by Russias state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom president of the board Alexandr Medvedev. As said by him, it could take within the nearest two-three months. A. Medvedev noted that “the sooner we would reach agreement on Beltransgaz, the easier it would be to plan the pricing policy for Belarus in the future”, as “in any case the special price for Belarus would be valid only for the year 2006”.

Creation of the joint venture has been envisaged by a Belarusian-Russian agreement on extension if cooperation in a gas sphere, signed in April 2002. That project was to be finished before July 1, 2004. However, the sides still cannot choose an independent evaluator for the “Beltransgaz”, and assess the price of Belarusian gas transportation system differently.

As the BelaPAN has informed, as an evaluator of the Belarusian enterprise “Gazprom” offers a Moscow representation of the company “Deloitte&Touch”. The Belarusian side considers this proposal not a fully correct one, and in its turn offers to evaluate the assets of the Beltransgaz to the central office of the company in London.

The negotiations on creation of the joint venture has resumed in the beginning of December. A week ago a joint stock company Beltransgaz finished buy-out of 0.12% of authorised capital of the from joint-stock company’s shareholders: for balanced conditions of the joint-stock venture creation.