Bulgaria in dispute with Gazprom

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Bulgaria's energy minister says the country has rejected Russian demands that it pay more for natural gas.

Rumen Ovcharov said in an interview with the state television network that Russia and its state company Gazprom want to change one of its two contracts.

Bulgaria pays $258 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas under one contract. Under the other, Bulgaria pays a discounted price of $83 in return for allowing Gazprom to ship to Turkey, Greece and Macedonia across Bulgaria.

Russia wants to pay directly for transit privileges and raise the price of the second contract to $258.

Russia has cut off gas supplies to Ukraine in a dispute about prices.