Baku, Tbilisi to agree gas export price in weeks

Azerbaijan is expected to agree the new price for natural gas exports to Georgia by March. The announcement was made by Minister of Energy and Industry Natig Aliyev in a meeting with the neighboring country’s Energy Minister Aleksandr Khetaguri on Wednesday.

Both countries’ experts are currently working on a new draft agreement on the supplies, the Azerbaijani ministry told AssA-Irada.

Georgia has been meeting its domestic demand on account of Azeri gas since last year. Azerbaijan now intends to raise the price that constituted only $120 per 1,000 cubic meters in 2007. The sides are also to determine the volume of supplies.

Aliyev told the press a few days ago that the Azerbaijani and Georgian governments were in talks on setting a new price. Tbilisi is looking to pay $180-190, but Baku’s views are somewhat different.

He also said Georgia was seeking to import 1-1.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year, while Azerbaijan intended to sell only 500 million cubic meters.*