Russia and Kyrgyzstan discuss issue of purchasing Kyrgyzgas by Gazprom

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 19 / Trend E. Kosolapova/

Russia and Kyrgyzstan discuss purchasing of the Kyrgyz National company Kyrgyzgas by Russian Gazprom on Tuesday, Bekmurat Sultanaliyev, Chairman of Kyrgyzgas Board of Directors told Trend over phone on Tuesday.

According to Sultanaliyev, the Kyrgyz delegation headed by the company's General Director Turgunbek Kulmurzayev is on the visit to Moscow to discuss the intergovernmental agreement on selling Kyrgyzgas to Gazprom.

Earlier, Kyrgyzstan proposed Gazprom to buy a 75-percent share of Kyrgyzgas for $1.

Meanwhile, according to Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, if Gazprom purchases the proposed stake, the company will have to pay $40 million debt of the Kyrgyz enterprise.

Moreover, the Kyrgyz President said that Gazprom company plans to buy 100-percent stake in Kyrgyzgas, rather than 75-percent.

"The conditions under which Gazprom will acquire the remaining 13-percent share owned by the state, a 4.5-percent share owned by the Social Fund and the remaining shares owned by private people is Gazprom's issue," Atambayev said.

Gazprom Open Joint Stock Company is the largest producer of natural gas in the world and the major Russian company. Its major business lines are geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and marketing of hydrocarbons, as well as generation and marketing of heat and electric power. The Russian government has a controlling stake in the company.