Lower price for Russian natural gas in Belarus justified

Belarus has reasons in favor of paying less for Russian natural gas as of 1 January 2016. Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko made the relevant statement during the opening ceremony of the Belarusian Industrial Forum, BelTA has learned.

“As of 1 January 2016 we have all reasons for our economic operators to get prices lower than the one offered by Gazprom Transgaz Belarus, which is a Belarusian economic operator with the status of a foreign enterprise,” said Vladimir Semashko. Speaking about the justification of the price for Russian natural gas, the Deputy Prime Minister underlined that economic operators are supposed to handle the matter on their own. “I have no idea what this hype is all about. It is all about relations between our regional gas distribution companies and OAO Gazprom Transgaz Belarus. As far as I know, Gazprom Transgaz Belarus has filed a petition with the arbitration court under the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The company believes that the regional gas distribution enterprises fail to pay in full for the natural gas we’ve been getting since 1 January 2016. But representatives of our gas distribution industry believe that their actions are absolutely correct since we have signed an entire system of agreements at the level of the governments of the two countries,” stressed Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko.

The system of agreements includes the agreement on access to services of certain monopolies (it was signed in 2010), the agreement on natural gas pricing in Belarus (2011), and the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty of 29 May 2014. “These documents clearly stipulate when and what prices should be used, what pricing approaches should be utilized,” stated the Deputy Prime Minister.

Earlier Vladimir Semashko was quoted as saying that there are substantial reasons for reducing the price for Russian natural gas in 2016. Belarusian Energy Minister Vladimir Potupchik commented on the matter on 26 February. The official said: “Serious work on the matter is in progress with the Russian side.”

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak confirmed in late February that consultations on a discount on natural gas for Belarus would be continued.