Gazprom terminates contract for gas purchase in Turkmenistan

In conflict with Turkmenistan Gazprom has gone further than ever, broken a 25-year contract for the purchase of gas. This is a precedent in the history of the monopoly, which has always insisted on inviolability of long-term agreements. But in relations with Turkmenistan this tactic can be more effective than disputes in international arbitration, the Kommersant’s sources believe. According to experts, Ashgabat will be forced to go back to the purchases from Gazprom under new, more favorable conditions for the company.

Gazprom not only stopped the purchase of gas from Turkmenistan from the beginning of January, but also broke the contract on its purchase, signed in 2003, said the stat-owned concern Turkmengaz. "Gazprom officially informed of the early unilaterally termination of the contract for the sale of gas from January 1, 2016," - the statement informs. The Kommersant’s interlocutors in Gazprom confirmed that the contract was really broken, the Russian monopoly didn’t provide official comments.