Russia wants to increase gas supplies to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Russia is discussing an increase in the volume of gas supplies for the domestic markets of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan against the background of increased consumption of this type of fuel in these countries.  This was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Alexander Novak.

“Also, we are discussing with our partners in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan the increase in the volume of gas supplies to their domestic market, as their consumption is increasing,” he said.

In addition, Novak said that Russia has agreed with Azerbaijan to increase the volume of gas supplies for its domestic consumption and may discuss “swap” supplies in the future.

“There is an agreement with Azerbaijan to increase the supply, because they still have a shortage of gas. In the future, when they increase gas production, we can discuss the exchange,” he said.

On 15 November, Gazprom started supplying gas to Azerbaijan under a new contract, according to which it will deliver up to 1 billion cubic meters of gas until March 2023.  In 2021, Azerbaijan and Russia agreed on cooperation in the field of seasonal exchange of natural gas: the contract valid until 2023 provides for the supply of gas from Azerbaijan to Russia in the summer season, as well as the same volume of gas from Russia to Azerbaijan in the winter season.

Also, according to Novak, gas supplies from the Russian Federation to China can reach 100 billion cubic meters per year, and it is planned that the Russian Federation will increase them through Turkey.

“If we talk about pipeline gas, China is the main consumer.  Taking into account the planned projects, the supply may reach 100 billion cubic meters per year.  It is also possible to increase the export of gas through Turkey, says the Deputy Prime Minister.

As you know, on 28 November of this year, a meeting between the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Kasim-Jomart Tokayev was held in the Kremlin.  At the end of the negotiations, the President of Kazakhstan informed that Putin offered Tokayev to create an alliance between Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.  Later, it became known that Putin told Tokayev about the plans to establish a gas alliance of the three countries, and the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed his intention to call on this issue.  On 8 December, the Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan Zhorabek Mirzamahmudov said that the cooperation of Uzbekistan with other countries in the field of energy is related to domestic consumption demand.

“On the basis of national interests, negotiations are being conducted on cooperation on the basis of trade and commercial agreements, not by handing over our energy networks to someone else,” the minister said.

Soon after that, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov made a statement and said that no one is setting political conditions for the creation of a gas union, and that this is not the case in the context of the idea of forming a union.