Sadyr Japarov threatened "Gazprom" with the nationalization of the gas network

Sadyr Japarov threatened "Gazprom" with the nationalization of the gas network

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov stated that if the Russian company "Gazprom" does not fulfill its gasification obligations, the country could return the gas system to state control. He announced this on November 3 during a meeting with residents of the Aitmatov and Manas districts of the Talas region.

"We are not the masters of our own system"

The head of state recalled that in 2013, the gas system was sold to the Russian company for a symbolic one dollar, and the agreement, as he noted, remains valid until approximately 2039. According to Japarov, the current situation is such that Kyrgyzstan cannot independently gasify its territory: all issues must be agreed upon with "Gazprom", which owns the system.

He also recalled how the sale was explained at that time: allegedly, the country needed gas itself, not "Kyrgyzgaz". The president stressed that the agreement included clauses obligating "Gazprom" to allocate funds for the gasification of the entire country.

According to Japarov, the contract outlined the Russian company's obligations to finance the gasification of the entire republic. Over the past two to three years, he has been raising the issue of fulfilling these obligations with "Gazprom". The president shared that he told the company's representatives: "I will take away the system, just like with Kumtor, and carry out the gasification myself."

Japarov did not use this example by chance: it shows that the threat could be real.

The republic's gas networks are managed by "Gazprom Kyrgyzstan". Previously, representatives of the company stated that the consumer tariff for gas does not cover all its costs, which slows down the pace of gasification.

"Gazprom" has not yet commented on Japarov's statements.