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Medvedev to chair conf on measures to strengthen payment discipline in gas supply sphere

Не proposed the idea of holding such a conference at a meeting with businessmen within the framework of the 12th Investment Forum in Sochi

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, October 9 (Itar-Tass) - Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will chair a conference Wednesday on urgent measures to strengthen payment discipline in the natural-gas supply sphere.

A government press service official said participants in the meeting would discuss the situation concerning indebtedness for the supply of gas in Russia's regions and ways to resolve it. "The meeting will be held in a video conference mode with the participation of the leaders of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation," the government official pointed out, adding that live standups are planned from Bashkortostan, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Kalmyk Republic, Novgorod, Yaroslavl, and Volgograd Regions.

Participants in the conference will be as follows: Vice-Premier Arkady Dvorkovich, Minister of Energy Alexander Novak, Regional Development Minister Igor Slyunyayev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, as well as Sergei Novikov, Director of the Federal Tariff Service, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, representatives of respective ministries and agencies, and governors of regions.

Medvedev proposed the idea of holding such a conference at a meeting with businessmen within the framework of the 12th Investment Forum in Sochi on September 27.

The press service official said that the main defaulters of payment for the supplied gas are three categories of users: organizations of the public utility complex, the population, and energy companies. "The largest increment in debts incurred by electric power companies has been observed in Arkhangelsk Region (800 million roubles), Tver and Ryazan Regions (400 million roubles each) and Yaroslavel Region (250 million roubles)," the government official pointed out.

Among socially significant categories of users, the mos favourable state of affairs in payments is observed in budget-supported organizations which are financed resultant of resources from local and regional budgets. "These organizations' payment for the supplied gas has been practically 100 percent," the government official emphasized. However, the population's debts for the supplied gas amounted to 45.3 billion roubles as of October 1, 2013.

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