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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Azhdar KURTOV
Azhdar Kurtov, President, Moscow Public Law Research Center (Moscow, Russia)
On 3 January, President Saparmurat Niyazov and head of Ukraine’s Naftogaz company Boiko signed another contract on the delivery of Turkmen natural gas to Ukraine for 2005. But two days prior to this, Turkmenistan interrupted its gas export to this country. Official Ashghabad motivated its action by the need to reconsider the price parameters of the previous contract due to the abrupt rise in the cost of fuel production. This, in turn, was caused by an increase in the cost of the equipment supplied to the republic as part of the commodity clearing payment for the gas delivered. Saparmurat Niyazov insisted on the price of 60 dollars for 1,000 cubic meters, but ultimately lowered it to 58 dollars.
A total of 36 billion cubic meters of blue fuel was to be sent to Ukraine. In so doing, the former payment conditions were retained: 50% in hard currency and 50% in commodities, consisting in particular of pipes, equipment, and metal products. Part of the volume (4.5 billion cubic meters) was to be paid for through the investment projects being carried out in Turkmenistan by Ukrainian companies: the construction of several compressor stations, a railroad bridge over the River Amudaria, a communication tunnel in the republic’s capital, and several other projects. Incidentally, these projects were set forth in the Treaty on Long-Term Trade and Economic Cooperation between Turkmenistan and Ukraine for 2001-2010 and in the Agreement on the Delivery of Natural Gas for 2001-2006 signed in…………….
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