. Vice-Premier of Azerbaijan Abbas Abbasov has received from his Turkmen colleague a message, which rather sharply raises the question of returning Baku's debt to Ashkhabad for the energy resources supplied. As reported by CNA agency making reference to "Nezavisimaya Gazeta", the unpaid part of the debt makes some 60 million dollars. "In case of further delaying the matter of settling financial obligations by the Azerbaijanian party, - the message emphasizes, - Turkmenistan will have to take more concrete steps - up to starting an arbitrage hearing or selling the debt to a third party".
The source of "NG" in Baku has drawn attention that "this demarche is undertaken by Ashkhabad on the background of complex processes taking place in course of solving the problem of vexed oil fields, worked by Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea". As it is known, Turkmenia seeks these fields. A representative of Azerbaijanian Government, who wished to remain anonymous, stated to the correspondent of "NG" that "Turkmenbashi is not so strict towards his other debtors, e.g. Ukraine to which he actively sells gas". "In our case he displays adherence to principle insisting on returning a rather small debt for Ashkhabad. It is clear that this is a new signal of the Turkmen leader to our leader for moving him towards compromises," - the source contended. Haydar Aliev and Sapamurat Niyazov will try to prevent the scandal outlining at the personal meeting, which will be held in Sochi within the framework of forthcoming informal summit of the heads of CIS countries on 1-3 August.