2007 Russia–Belarus energy dispute built on that." Merkel continued by saying "We will certainly say to our Russian partners but also to Belarus that such consultations are the minimum when there are problems, and I think that that must become normality, as it would be within the European Union." Barroso said that "while there is no immediate risk to supplies, it is not acceptable" for such actions to be undertaken without prior consultation. 2007 Russia–Belarus energy dispute The Russia–Belarus energy dispute began when Russian state-owned gas supplier Gazprom demanded an increase in gas prices paid by Belarus, a country which has been closely allied
Gazprom Germania of Gazprom Germania, Mr Kotenev worked in the Russian foreign service. In 2004 - 2010 Mr Kotenev was the Russian ambassador to Germany. Gazprom Germania GAZPROM Germania GmbH (), a company registered in Berlin, Germany, is headquarters of a diversified conglomerate, GAZPROM Germania Group, operating in more than 20 countries, and is a 100% subsidiary of the world's largest natural gas company, Gazprom. GAZPROM Germania Group is active in natural gas sales and marketing, trading, exploration and production, as well as in underground storage projects. Companies of the group operate in Europe, USA, Central Asia and Singapore. GAZPROM Germania Group