Putin says Russia, Belarus to sign agreement on united gas market

MOSCOW, Sep 10 (PRIME) -- An agreement between Russia and Belarus on creation of a united gas market will be signed until December 1, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters after a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Friday.

“A document on creation of a united gas market within the framework of the Union State will be signed until December 1, 2023,” he said.

Russia will not adjust the gas price for Belarus neither for the U.S. dollar nor for the ruble inflation, and the price will be set at U.S. $128.5 per 1,000 cubic meters in 2022, Putin also said.

“The price for Russian gas for Belarus is $128.5 per 1,000 cubic meters. I would like to inform you, if you do not know, that the price for the European market is $650 per 1,000 cubic meters. The difference is understandable. We will not also adjust the price for Belarus for the U.S. dollar inflation, and which is considerable,” he said.

Putin also said that agreements on joining the oil and oil products markets and the electrical power markets can also be signed.

The Russian and the Belarusian government are in talks on new credits to Belarus, and from September 2021 to the end of 2022 the support will amount to $630–640 million, the Russian president said.

Lukashenko said that Belarus does not need Russia’s credits.

Putin did not rule out that Russia and Belarus can establish a united parliament.

“As to the political integration, such tasks were set in the Union agreement from the very beginning, when it was formed in 1997, and when it was signed some time later… But we believe that… an economic basis, an economic foundation should be created first for any further movement, including the political track,” he said.

“We should start with the economy, and then the situation will naturally require additional regulation, including a united parliament. I cannot rule out that it can be created,” he added.

The issues of political integration have not been discussed at the meeting.

Putin said that Russia and Belarus are shifting to integrated industrial policy and access to state orders and state procurements and that the documents agreed at the meeting are devoted to integration of the money systems, taxes and the fight against terrorism.

The president added that integrated macroeconomic policy should be developed for establishment of a united currency.

He also said that a number of joint companies between the states and export opportunities will increase thanks to the integration.

Russia will lift all the coronavirus-linked restrictions on air connection between the two states, Putin said.

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