SOFIA, Jan. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Bulgarian gas monopoly Bulgargaz has sent a formal notice to Russia's gas giant Gazprom to reject its demand to change the transit fees levied on its gas exported to Turkey, Greece and Macedonia via Bulgaria, said Bulgargaz Friday night.

    Bulgaria cannot accept Russia's request made at the end of 2005 to change the payment terms stipulated by the bilateral contract signed in 1998 on shipping Russian gas to Turkey, Greece and Macedonia via Bulgaria, said the document.

    Any Russian attempt to revise or unilaterally terminate the contract before it expires in 2010 is deemed as violations of the agreement, the document added.

    Gazprom now pays transit fees to Bulgaria in the form of gas ata price now set at around 83 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters, compared with the 257 dollars Bulgaria pays for supply not covered by the transit contract.

    Bulgaria is currently importing about 2.73 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year from Russia, 90 percent of Bulgaria's total needs.

    Bulgarian officials said Gazprom is pushing Bulgaria to switch to a system under which it pays transit fees in cash and Sofia buys all of its gas at market prices.

    The gas dispute between Russia and Bulgaria emerged as Russia has just struck a deal over gas prices with Ukraine, after Gazprom, which demanded a fourfold price hike, cut deliveries to Ukraine onJan. 1.

    Under the deal, Ukraine, which provides conduit for Russia to supply a quarter of Europe's needs, will pay an average of 95 U.S.dollars per thousand cubic meters for gas imports from Russia and the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, up from about 50 dollars now. Enditem