Putin Comments on Increase of Gas Prices
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on January 31 that an increase of gas prices for the neighboring countries was a transition to market prices, which should not harm Russia’s policy in the post-Soviet space.
“I do not think that the revenues gained from a transition to market prices of gas for our neighbors will harm our policy in the post-Soviet space. Moreover, I am sure that this will promote the implementation of our foreign political tasks and goals,” the Russian President said.
Putin was speaking with about 1,000 reporters from Russia and abroad at an annual press conference in the Kremlin, which lasted more than three hours.
He said that a non-market price prevailed over the past 15 years and “actually the economies of post-Soviet republics were subsidized at the expense of Russian consumers and citizens.”
He also expressed regret that “no one appreciated” Russia for this policy of subsidizing the gas price.
The Russian President said that this “transition to market prices should not have been unexpected for [Russia’s] partners since we began speaking about it long ago.”
Starting from 2006 the Russian energy company Gazprom increased its gas price for some former Soviet republics, including Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Moldova – up to USD 110 per 1000 cubic meters of gas, while Ukraine will pay USD 95 for the same amount. The price of Russian gas remained unchanged for Belarus – USD 47 per 1000 cubic meters.
The Georgian leadership described Moscow’s decision to increase gas prices as “politically motivated.”
