Deputy PM: Russia–Belarus gas negotiations difficult

SOCHI, Feb 27 (PRIME) – Gas negotiations between Russia and Belarus are difficult and there are still some disagreements left, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told reporters on Monday.

“They are hard,” he said. “Negotiations continue, we are waiting for their reaction now…There are some disagreements left.”

Russia thinks that Belarus should have redeemed its debt for natural gas long ago and not have accumulated it.

On February 24, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said Minsk and Moscow were close to signing an agreement to cut the price for Russian gas, settling a long-time dispute. The countries will agree to tie the gas price for Belarus to Russia’s internal gas prices, he said then.

In early 2016, Minsk said that Russian prices for gas are unfair and started paying less for it unilaterally. Moscow cut duty-free oil supplies to Belarus saying there were shortfalls in duty-free oil product shipments to Russia, which Minsk was to carry out in return for the oil.

On February 10, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that negotiations would be continued, and there was a definite understanding that debts for 2016 have to be redeemed. Dvorkovich said in late January that the debt of Belarus for Russian gas amounted to U.S. $550 million.

End