A Russian newspaper alleged that the Georgian government may be using U.S. aid funds to import natural gas from Iran. According to the Vremya Novostei daily, “the purchase of gas from Tehran, which now is ‘enemy No. 1’ for the U.S., moreover at a fantastic price, looks extremely dubious from the political point of view.” The publication believed “the payment came from funds that Washington gave Tbilisi in the form of financial assistance, because Georgia has no other sources for liquidating its budget deficit.” It cited a statement by Iran’s deputy oil minister Mohammad-Hadi Nejad Khoseinian, who told IRNA news agency that the former Soviet republic is paying around $7 million for a 30-day supply of 30 million cubic meters of gas. The amount equates to $230 per 1,000 cubic meters or $220 more if the shipment comes from neighboring Russia. Last week, Georgia had to enter into a contract with Iran after Russian pipeline explosions cut gas supply to the country in January, forcing millions of Georgians to endure the bitterly cold weather. Although delivery from Russia resumed, President Mikhail Saakashvili, who accused its neighbor of retaliating against the government for its pro-Western stance, promised to diversify the country’s energy imports to avert a another energy crisis. (Source: Georgia Using US Aid Money To Buy Gas From Iran - Report/The Associated Press)
