Representatives of Gazprom and the Belarusian government held another round of talks on October 28 to discuss next year's gas supply and transit deals and the sale of the government's stake in gas transport company Beltranshaz to the Russian gas giant, said Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov.
Mr. Kupriyanov said that the two parties were completing their work to reach agreement on the deals, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced on October 20 that the deals would be signed by the leaders of the two countries in November.
Mr. Putin also said that the final Russian-Belarusian gas agreements would be tied to the forthcoming acquisition by Gazprom of the other 50-percent stake in Beltranshaz.
The existing five-year gas supply contract between Belarus and Russia's natural gas monopoly Gazprom expires on December 31. The Belarusian government warned earlier that it would sell its stake in Beltranshaz to Gazprom only if a new contract, which would be in effect between 2012 and 2014, required the Russian gas monopolist to sell gas to Belarus at Russia's domestic prices.
The price of Russian natural gas for Belarus was expected to be $286 per 1000 cubic meters in the third quarter of the year and $300 to $305 in the fourth.
Belarus reportedly bought gas from Gazprom at $193 per 1000 cubic meters in late 2010 and at $223 in the first three months of this year. The price for the second quarter of the year was $244.7.
