Belarus fully repaid gas debt to the Gazprom

/IRBIS, June 24, 2010/ - Belarus fully repaid gas debt to Gazprom. Mr. Vladimir Semashko First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus informed about that on June 23, the press office of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus. "By being a goodwill gesture, today at 16.00, having borrowed money in not a very simple situation in Belarus, where there are financial issues, $187 million we send to cover the debt to Gazprom - quoted Mr. Vladimir Semashko. Returning to the prehistory of the gas dispute between Gazprom and Beltransgaz, Belarus and Russia, Mr. Vladimir Semashko has reminded, that at a meeting of HCV December 10, 2009 Presidents of Belarus and Russia ordered the government and leaders of business entities (Beltransgaz and Gazprom ) to calculate the situation with gas prices for 2010 and subsequent years. According to first deputy prime minister, there were reasons for this. The fact is that last year saw a sharp rise in oil prices, but, as you know, gas prices are closely attached to them. That is, when oil prices went up, gas has risen in price at times. In addition, in 2009 - the year of the global financial crisis that the parties were also to take into account, indicated in the message. Semashko also complained about the unfair conditions on gas prices: "We - the Union State, and there is an agreement of 1998 on equal conditions. But what is equal, if today our business entity is paying for gas $217 per 1 thousand cubic meters, and in Smolensk - a maximum of $100? ". As indicated, the first deputy prime minister recalled that on Dec. 31, 2006, signing an agreement on cooperation in gas sphere, which, incidentally, the Belarusian side punctually fulfilled, the parties have laid the next motif: Belarus and Russia should be synchronized, in 2011, to enter the principle of equal. But in 2009 it was clear that Russia departed from this principle, and that the trajectory which has been set by the Government of Russia has been implemented in at least two times slower. There are statements by officials, the Russian government, Gazprom executives that Russia will come to equal only to the year 2015. "So naturally, we have a desire to correct the documents in the light of objective circumstances. Execute the order of the President, the leadership of Beltransgaz twice to Gazprom's proposal to adjust the basic documents, but clearly we got no answer", - said Mr. Vladimir Semashko "In the hope that we eventually will come to an agreement on some adjustments, we have assumed that the price of gas in 2010 will be approximately $ 150. On that basis and was paid at $ 150 for 1 tys.m.kub" explained. - Mr. V. Semashko, the press service. [2010-06-24]