The company representatives said Uzbekistan was ready to supply natural gas to Kyrgyzstan at a price of US$300 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas.

The Kyrgyz minister of industry, energy and fuel resources, Ilyas Davydov, confirmed this information. However, he said that "this is not the final figures, and that is why, I would like to ask the press to refrain from emotional remarks".

The minister said that "he is ready to personally fly to the Uzbek capital to continue the negotiation process". He also did not rule out that "the neighbour’s price policy will be changed".

"Now, we are conducting feasibility study and drafting other documents, with which we intend to continue negotiations with the official Tashkent. I believe that taking into account the reduction of prices on the world oil markets, the Uzbek side will also compromise with us and reduce the initially announced tariff for supplying ’blue fuel’ gas to Kyrgyzstan in 2009," Davydov said.

Leadership of the Uzbekneftegaz (Uzbek oil and gas national holding company) - the main supplier of natural fuel to Kyrgyzstan - had told Kyrgyz representatives in Tashkent that the price per 1,000 cubic meters of gas was US$300.

as earlier reported, Kyrgyzgaz and Uzbekistan agreed the gas supply volumes for 2009. Kyrgyzgaz will import 800 million cubic meters of gas next year.