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TBILISI: Georgian Minister Denies Opposition Claims He Is Gazprom's

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  • TBILISI: Georgian Minister Denies Opposition Claims He Is Gazprom's

    GEORGIAN MINISTER DENIES OPPOSITION CLAIMS HE IS GAZPROM'S "EMISSARY"

    Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi,
    8 Nov 06

    Georgia's State Minister for Economic Reforms, Kakha Bendukidze,
    has hit back at opposition claims that he is lobbying on behalf of
    Russia's state-owned gas company, Gazprom.

    The opposition was referring to a statement made by Bendukidze in
    March 2006 in saying that his "personal" view was that there was no
    danger in selling Gazprom the trunk gas pipeline which carries gas
    from Russia to Georgia and Armenia. On 7 November the deputy chairman
    of Gazprom's board, Aleksandr Medvedev, said that the company might
    sell Georgia gas at a lower price in exchange for assets.

    Speaking in parliament on 8 November, opposition Republican MP Davit
    Berdzenishvili described Bendukidze as Gazprom's "emissary".

    "Russia's state-owned company Gazprom has an economic business
    partner and political emissary in the Georgian government - Kakha
    Bendukidze. The position of most members of parliament, whether they
    are in the majority or opposition, will not be defined until we hear
    a clear statement on what the Georgian government is going to do.

    Today we are in a position when the supplier of gas is the
    Russian state while the recipient here is also the Russian state
    [through Russian-owned companies]. Bendukidze is encouraging this,"
    Berdzenishvili said in remarks broadcast by Imedi TV.

    Bendukidze flatly denied that he was supporting the sale of the trunk
    gas pipeline to Gazprom.

    "No assets will be exchanged for a gas price. This will not happen
    under any circumstances. Besides, as I have already told you, under
    blackmail it makes absolutely no sense to sign any significant contract
    on exchanging assets or anything else. Of course we must not agree
    to that. Eventually, we will secure several sources of gas supplies,
    and that will be it," Bendukidze told Rustavi-2 TV's Business Kurieri
    programme.

    Speaking at a news briefing a little earlier, Bendukidze also condemned
    opposition suggestions that companies in the hands of Russian investors
    should be nationalized: "As regards the opposition, they are shameless
    people, as you know. They are now developing some new ideas, gradually
    drifting towards leftist politics, far-leftist politics. I have read
    several interesting articles by members of our opposition and by
    people on their election lists. They are laughable, these articles
    are written in a clear communist style. It would be better for them
    to be called Georgia's Communist-Bolshevik party instead of New Right
    and Republicans. That would better reflect their actions and level
    of development than their current names," Bendukidze said.
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