Turkmenistan wants to raise the price of the natural gas it sells to Russia, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday, according to AP. The agency quoted President Sapurmurat Niyazov as saying he wanted to raise the price per thousand cubic meters to US$50 (¤42) as of 2006, and to US$60 (¤50) per 1,000 cubic meters thereafter. Russian gas monopoly Gazprom needs long-term supplies of Turkmen gas to ensure that it can meet rising domestic and export demand in future. Turkmenistan struck a 25-year deal with Russia in 2003 at a basic price of US$44 (¤37) a thousand cubic meters. «We are selling gas at US$44, but you are raising your export prices,» Interfax quoted Niyazov as saying in reference to the fact that prices on Gazprom's oil-linked export contracts to Western Europe have now breached US$180 (¤150) per 1,000 cubic meters. «We have an agreement until 2007 on prices, but metal prices have gone up, and prices for your pipes _ which we are buying _ have trebled, so in 2006, give us US$50, not US$44, and give us US$60 for the 25-year deal,» Interfax quoted Niyazov as saying.
