Report: Minsk, Moscow yet to work out principal issues on gas, oil

MINSK, Dec 5 (PRIME) -- Russia and Belarus are yet to agree on several principle issues, including issues over oil and natural gas, in their integration process, Belarusian news agency BelTA reported on Thursday quoting President Alexander Lukashenko.

In an address to the members of parliament, Lukashenko said that an array of principle issues were still present in relations of the two countries, including gas and oil issues. “We have not even solved the simplest problem of dirty oil. And we’ve missed the GDP (gross domestic product) target mainly due to the oil problems,” he said.

Nevertheless, work on deepening of integration of the two countries under the Union State and on a package of road maps is at a final stage, he said.

The problem with the quality of oil coming from Russia to Europe across Belarus via the Druzhba pipeline appeared in April. Good-quality oil deliveries resumed in early May, but Russian oil pipeline monopoly is still discussing compensations.

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