Prime ministers to continue discussing EAEU common gas market on 1 February

MOSCOW. KAZINFORM Discussion about conditions for setting up a common natural gas market in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will be continued by the prime ministers during the next session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, which is scheduled to take place in Kazakhstan on 1 February, BelTA learned from Tigran Sargsyan, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, after the session of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission in Moscow on 18 January.

According to Tigran Sargsyan, on 18 January the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission discussed the main problem standing in the way of the common natural gas market: how the price for natural gas transit will be determined. Various approaches to the matter exist. "One approach suggests setting one transit price for all the Eurasian Economic Union member states and this price should not be higher than prices used in Russia," the official explained. Another approach suggests determining the price for gas transit at the supranational level. Yet another approach points out the fact that the national governments exercise some authority in line with the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty and should be the ones to determine gas transit prices inside their own countries. As for transit between countries, it is regulated by international agreements.

"Since there are different approaches to the matter, we have to come up with a consensus," said the chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, BelTA reports.