Minsk acknowledges no debt for Russian gas supplies

MINSK, Mar 31 (PRIME) -- Belarus does not acknowledge debt for Russian natural gas and will continue negotiations to settlement of the dispute between the two countries, Vladislav Sychevich, spokesman of the Belarusian prime minister, told PRIME on Friday.

On Thursday, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Moscow and Minsk had failed to solve their energy dispute as Belarus is not ready to redeem a U.S. $700 million debt without significant preferences from Russia, and called the Minsk position “unconstructive”.

“Speaking of the statement made by Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Belarus being unready to redeem the so-called debt to Russia for gas, the Belarusian side does not see the sum as a debt,” Sychevich said.

During the Thursday talks, Moscow and Minsk agreed to continue negotiations in a constructive way and reach a mutually acceptable result, he added.

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.

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