“We sign a contract with Russia on purchasing gas via transit every year. We update such contract every year. We still have time till December and we’ll conduct negotiations with Gazprom in this regard. I think everything will bee good”, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Ministry of Energy of Georgia Kakha Kaladze told APA’s Georgian bureau.

According to him, Azerbaijani gas is priority for Georgia: “As well as Azerbaijan is our strategic partner. We have friendly relations with Azerbaijan and President Ilham Aliyev’s recent visit to Georgia proved it. We held high-level meetings with him and came to agreement in every sphere. Azerbaijan has great interest in the project of gas storage and we’ll commence construction of this project next year. In a word, Azerbaijan is very important partner for us and these friendly relations will continue”.

According to Georgian media, negotiations of Gazprom and Georgian government and effort of building relations in gas sphere are political decision. Commenting on this news, the Energy Ministry Kakha Kaladze said: “This is not true. There is an opposition party “United National Movement” in Georgia and they want to direct the relations to the policy. This is a commercial contract that we sign with Russia every year. We purchase extra gas and there is not any problem in it”.

Georgian Minister did not disclose the prices of Azerbaijani and Russian gas: “We have not prices and get information from Gazprom yet. But, we purchased extra commercial gas in the previous years. Then, Russian gas was more expensive than Azerbaijani and we purchased extra gas from Gazprom for domestic supply and commercial objects”.

The energy minister also commented on the gas pipeline to be constructed from Iran through Armenia: “We are still waiting how out relations with Iran will be. Of course, if we have opportunity, we’ll discuss this issue”.

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