Interfax: Consumers must pay for Russian gas, no more ‘gas communism’ – prime minister

(Interfax – Gorki, October 29, 2013) Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev has said that the authorities should ensure 100-per-cent collection of payments for gas, stressing that the time of “gas communism” was over.

“We must ensure conditions for 100-per-cent collection of gas payments. I think everyone should realize that there will be no such all-encompassing forgiveness of debt, no ‘gas communism’ in the future,” Medvedev said at a meeting on strengthening the discipline of payments for natural gas supplies.

He stressed that, starting next year, Gazprom would face strict budget limits. According to the prime minister, gas consumers owe more than R100bn (3.1bn dollars).

“The situation with payments for gas, unfortunately, is getting worse rather than improving every year. Arrears are building up,” Medvedev said.

Stressing that Russia was a leading producer and exporter of natural gas, the prime minister said: “but this does not mean that, contrary to economic logic, gas can be supplied for free within the country.” “This is impossible,” the prime minister said.