Apparently being thought of as an unreliable energy supplier is something the Russians value and are working towards:
Tbilisi Says Russia’s Plan to Double Gas Price Politically MotivatedGeorgia has called Russian energy giant Gazprom’s intention to more than double the gas price up to USD 230 per 1000 cubic meters is a political decision aimed at mounting more pressure on Tbilisi. On November 2 Russian news agencies were extensively reporting Gazprom’s plans to increase the gas price for Georgia from the current USD 110 starting from 2007.
But Georgian Deputy Energy Minister Alexander Khetaguri told Civil Georgia on November 2 that no official notification has been received from the Russian side about the new price proposal.
The gas distribution company in Tbilisi, owned by the Kazakh state-run KazTransGaz, said on November 2 that negotiations about the gas price are underway with Gazprom and a final agreement is expected to be signed by mid-December. KazTransGaz-Tbilisi has so far only agreed with Gazprom that starting from 2007 it will import 450 million cubic meters of gas ““ the amount needed to supply consumers in Tbilisi for one year.
It will be the highest price for any CIS country, far higher than the Ukraine and Moldova who pay $130 and $170 respectively. Maybe Russia has a secret plan to help Europe and others diversify their supply and to wean them off Russian energy.
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COMMENTS / 6 COMMENTS
ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » Why Would They Say That? added these pithy words on Nov 08 06 at 6:09 pm[...] Why on earth would they say that? Russia’s main foreign policy goal seems to still be creating instability. Some may see their overall policy as classic divide and conquer but this author believes that since Russia can’t seem to move upwards, the best it can hope for is bringing others down. It seems Moscow continues to work towards shrinking the Core. What say you? [...]
tdaxp added these pithy words on Nov 24 06 at 4:10 amGive Thanks for Putin
The death of Alexander Litvinenko reminds us how fortunate the world is for Vladimir Putin. An infinitely less bloody version of Stalin, his combination of political mastery and strategic incompetence guarantees us a safe Europe, a safe Asia, and a sa…
Mihnea added these pithy words on 06 Nov 06 at 12:02 amright, and i’m a ballerina in a pink outfit… russia’s re-asserting itself and unfortunately there’s very little the western world can do to stop it. in terms of other sources of energy (and i’m not just talking alternative), the west is pretty much at its mercy, with much of the gas and oil europe uses coming from papa putin. also, it’s re-asserting its geostrategic domain, stating loud and clear that georgia has no place in nato or any other form of western umbrella.
quite unfortunate, when you think about it. the west had 15 years to bring russia to its knees geopolitically and it has hardly done anything in that regard, giving it more carrots than beating it with a stick. as long as russia reacts in the same way it has done historically
xenophobic and brutally offensiveand as long as it holds the energy card… we’re pretty much screwed.in terms of the payment.. ukraine and moldova are pretty bad examples, given that romania pays something like 248, i think. but then again we’re not in its near-abroad.
Nathan Hamm added these pithy words on 06 Nov 06 at 6:06 amthe west is pretty much at its mercy
Not forever though. Germany’s foreign minister has been visiting each of the Central Asian states over the past week to try to create some kind of comprehensive EU policy toward Central Asia for its EU presidency. A big part of that policy will be sourcing more and more of its natural gas from Russia via new export networks that will bypass Russia, decreasing its ability to force customers to pay whatever it wants. The point Chirol is, I think, trying to make, is that Russia is doing plenty to encourage Europe (as well as the Central Asian suppliers who would be delighted to be rid of having to go through Russia) to speed this up.
von Kaufman-Turkestanky added these pithy words on 06 Nov 06 at 7:02 pmChirol: I read an older article that I think you will agree with (this one being from Ukraine). The main lesson that I draw from his comments, however, is that there are many ways to develop immunities from today’s geopolitics that have to do with energy and responsible policy:
“During the 15 years of Ukraine’s independence, the numerous “successful understandings” brokered by Kravchuk-Kuchma should have been substituted (or at least alongside with those “understandings”) by alternative sources of energy and energy conserving technologies, including new accounting techniques. Had this been accomplished, the issue would not have arisen in the first place.”
Here is the article:
http://www2.pravda.com.ua/en/news/2005/12/12/4919.htm ...
