Russian Gazprom is preparing to file lawsuits with an arbitration court against private Turkish gas importers after failing to agree with them on the gas price for 2017, TASS News Agency reported.
Gazprom Export subsidiary has already prepared documents needed to file the lawsuit, which likely to be filed at the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, will involve private companies importing Russian gas to Turkey, including Akfel Gas, Enerco Enerji, Avrasya gaz, Bosphorus gaz, Shell, Bati Hatti and Kibar Enerji, informed Sputnik News. The companies had rejected Gazprom’s price offer, which involved settling for a temporary arrangement until the company settles its ongoing dispute with Turkey’s state-owned BOTAS Petroleum Pipeline Corporation.
The dispute started in December, when Turkey nationalized Akfel Holding, the country’s largest gas importer partly owned by Gazprom. Accordingly, Gazprom discontinued 2017 pricing talks and the two companies went to Stockholm to argue over prices.
The fresh dispute, in which Gazprom will sue all of its partners in its second-largest market after Germany, was necessary since low prices would harm the company as well as undermining its position in the dispute with BOTAS. Moreover, this came as A dispute between Gazprom and Turkish importers also took place last year after Gazprom Export reduced its gas supplies to Turkey and canceled a 10.25% price discount. The issue was settled in April.