Gazprom, Belarus may sign new contracts

Russia's gas giant Gazprom may sign new gas contracts with Belarus in November, the firm said on Thursday, after talks which also covered the sale of half of the Belarusian gas transportation company Beltransgaz to Gazprom. "Negotiations with our Belarusian friends are very intensive and are proceeding in the right way... I am sure we will be ready to sign all necessary documents in November," CEO Alexei Miller was quoted as saying in a company statement. Belarus has long insisted that gas prices for Belarus as a member of the Union State with Russia should equal gas prices on the Russian domestic market, which are much lower than the prices at which Gazprom sells natural gas to European consumers. The current gas contract between Russia and Belarus expires on December 31. For the third quarter of 2011, Belarus is paying $286 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, up from $245 in the second quarter.