Bolivia will continue to supply natural gas to Argentina and Brazil,Bolivia's state-owned energy company Yacimientos Petroliferous Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) said on Wednesday, according to reports from La Paz.

"We respect contracts on the sale and purchase of gas," said YPFB chief Jorge Alvarado.

But he said there was a need "to increase prices in line with the international market."

He urged the presidents of Brazil and Argentina to "understand the position that the Bolivian government has taken because it is patriotic, sovereign and dignified."

He added that it was normal and logical for the governments of countries whose companies have invested in Bolivia to feel worried.

Companies from Argentina, Brazil, Spain, France, Britain, the Netherlands and the United States have invested in the exploitation and sale of Bolivian fossil fuels, Alvarado said.

Presidents from Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Bolivia will meet on Thursday in the Argentine city Puerto Iguazu to discuss the fallout stemming from Bolivia's move to nationalize its energy industry.

Source: Xinhua