Interfax - Russia & CIS Energy Newswire Thursday 6:56 PM MSK Georgia paid enough by Gazprom to transit Russian gas to Armenia - deputy minister TBILISI. Jan 25 Georgian Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi Chikovani has dismissed the opposition claims that the republic is not importing Russian natural gas in 2018 because it has no money left to buy it after signing a new agreement with Gazprom (MOEX: GAZP) to transit gas to Armenia. "This year Russian natural gas is not imported because at this stage Georgia fully satisfies its demand for gas with its supplies from Azerbaijan," Chikovani told journalists on Thursday, commenting on the opposition claim that the money paid by Gazprom for the transit was only enough to transport gas to Armenia. Paying cash for transit is a worldwide practice, he said. "To say that this money is not enough for us is incorrect. This is a confidential agreement [with Gazprom Export] that we have no right to disclose, although Georgia does get paid enough for the service provided," Chikovani said. Georgia is quite satisfied with gas supplies from Azerbaijan, which come in two ways: as part of the Shah Deniz project and under contracts with Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, the deputy minister said. "Although the agreement with Gazprom Export stipulates that should Georgia need more gas during peak consumption or emergencies, we can import it, gas, from Russia," Chikovani said. Earlier the parliamentary faction of the opposition National Movement party (set up by ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili's supporters) had insisted on considering a draft resolution on the issue of the government's contract with Gazprom Export and whether a temporary inquiry commission should be set up to examine the issue. The issues were never considered. Meanwhile, the parliamentary majority think that every time the opposition faction made such a proposal, it was trying to reignite scandal. Georgian Dream deputies called the opposition actions "pure speculation and populism," sharing the executive authority's view that at talks with the Russian company everything was done for Georgia to secure the best possible terms. For the first time in many years, in 2018 Georgia's natural gas trade balance does not envisage Russian natural gas import, which in 2017 was set at 185 million cubic meters, down 28.1% on the previous year. Under the agreement, which Georgia and Gazprom Export signed in early 2017, last year gas transit to Armenia was paid for under a mixed scheme: part money, part raw material; and in 2018 money only. Gazprom Export guaranteed payment for gas transit via Georgia to Armenia of 2-2.2 billion cubic meters per year in 2017-2018, and for supplying gas to Georgia "on flexible terms, at $30 per 1,000 cubic meters less than in 2016," i.e. for $185. Previously Georgia would get 10% from the total Russian gas it transited to Armenia.