On the eve of Dmitry Medvedev and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, meeting, sources in the Russian presidential administration stated that Belarus should pay the debt for gas in the amount of 192.3 million dollars and pay for its supply at current prices. Gazprom does not intend to acquire a controlling stake of Beltransgaz on the account of debt payment, stressed in the Kremlin.
At a meeting of the two countries’ presidents «there will be raised questions of cooperation in the energy sector, including oil and gas supplies, which are carried out in strict accordance with the previously reached agreement on step-by-step transition to market pricing principles in mutual trade», a source of RIA Novosti in the Kremlin informed.
According to him, Moscow demands Minsk the unconditional compliance with obligations taken in the sphere, including payment of Russian gas supplies.
In their turn, in Belarus’ Presidential Administration they reported that the main topic of Alexander Lukashenko’s meetings in Moscow would be the functioning of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, as well as a number of topical issues of bilateral Belarus-Russia cooperation.
As Telegraf previously reported, in 2010 Belarus pays for Russian gas at last year’s price of 150 dollars per thousand cubic meters. In the first quarter of this year the price of gas for Belarus amounted to 169 dollars, in the second, it is expected to increase to about 184 dollars, while the average price is predicted at about 187 dollars. As a result, Gazprom estimates that Belarus’ debt for gas may reach 500-600 million dollars by the end of the year.
Earlier, Belarusian leader invited Russia to acquire a controlling stake of Beltransgaz, now Gazprom’s share in it is equal to 50%. In Russian company the acquisition was named unreasonable.
