Information Department Of The Russian President Disproves Statement Of The Georgian President Regarding The Price Of Russian Gas Quoted To Tbilisi

The Information department of the Russian President disproved the statement of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze who in his interview to the Moscow "Obshchaya Gazeta" announced that Moscow was selling gas to Tbilisi at a price of USD 80 per 1000 cubic meters instead of USD 50 as declared by President Putin. According to the information provided to agencies in the Information department of the Russian President with reference to the data from the "Itera" company, "in the course of 2001 that company delivered to Georgia 576 million cubic meters of natural gas at the average price of USD 50.12 per 1000 cubic meters". An "Itera" representative confirmed that for Georgian consumers the price for gas supplied by Russia actually reached the level of USD 80 per 1000 cubic meters. Though it happens due to the fact that the Georgian side increases the Russian price by adding customs duties, VAT tax, ecological tax, road fund fees, entrepreneurship tax, transportation costs. The Information department of the Russian President indicated that, in other words, the 30 dollar difference discovered by the President of Georgia was nothing else but "margin" added by the Georgian side. The Information department provided the following "Itera" figures according to which the total indebtedness of Georgia to it for the delivered gas exceeded USD 80 million. In the opinion of "Itera", this debt is the direct result of the artificial gas price hike which undermines paying capacity of Georgian consumers.