Gazprom says it halts gas supplies to Latvia

MOSCOW - Russian gas producer Gazprom said on Saturday it had stopped supplying neighboring Latvia with gas, accusing it of violating conditions for gas withdrawal.

In a statement on Saturday, Gazprom did not specify which gas withdrawal conditions Latvia had allegedly violated.

Gazprom's move comes a day after Latvian energy firm Latvijas Gaze said it was buying gas from Russia and paying in euros rather than the roubles required when trading with Gazprom.

A spokesperson for Latvijas Gaze, however, said on Friday the gas the company was buying was not from Gazprom. Latvijas Gaze would not name its provider, citing business confidentiality.

Meanwhile, Latvia's unified gas transmission and storage operator Conexus Baltic Grid (Conexus) confirmed that it has received confirmation on the halt of gas deliveries from Gazprom.

Representatives of Conexus told LETA that the company had already previously emitted Russian gas deliveries from its calculations for gas deliveries this year.