Yamal-Europe 2 will be a testimony to great trust between Belarus, Russia

The construction of the Yamal-Europe 2 pipeline will demonstrate a high level of trust between Russia and Belarus, BelTA learnt from Sergei Kizima, Doctor of Political Science, Head of the Department for International Policy of the Academy of Public Administration under the Auspices of the President of the Republic of Belarus.

Russia’s return to the Yamal-Europe 2 gas pipeline construction project via Belarus has economic reasons. “Very soon the EU market will see large amounts of shale gas coming from the United States. Price competition will become tougher, and Gazprom will have to reduce the cost of its supplies to the European Union. Cheap transit will become crucial in this respect,” the expert believes.

Today Belarus is the main transit route for Russian oil to the EU, while Ukraine is the major route for Russian gas. Russia’s use of Nord Stream for the transportation of gas which earlier was piped to the EU via Ukraine and the construction of the Yamal Europe 2 pipeline can dramatically change the situation. “Belarus may become a key transit route for Russia’s oil and gas supplies to its most important market, the European Union. It is logical since Belarus is an active participant in the integration projects with Russia while Ukraine is not. In this respect it will be safer for Russia to trust its most significant projects to the closest allies,” Sergei Kizima stressed.

The additional branch of the gas pipeline via Belarus would allow Russia to deliver large volumes of gas to the EU by using the Belarusian cost-effective route. Sergei Kizima noted that there are clear benefits for Belarus. An increase in the volume of gas transit will bring revenue growth. Belarus will also earn nicely on the construction of the gas pipeline itself. Additional jobs will be created. "The role of Belarus as the main transit route of Russian oil and gas to the EU will increase. So will the importance of our country to Russia. This project will emphasize the high level of trust between Russia and Belarus, which will be positively viewed by other potential investors. This trend will inevitably be taken into account by our European partners,” Sergei Kizima believes.

The political scientist noted that Belarus is in the middle of building a network of logistics centers, in full compliance with the best foreign practices. Owing to this, the country will be able to reap big profits from cargo traffic and attract more road haulage. The main factor that can contribute to the increase in cargo flows through Belarus would be the routes connecting Asia and Europe. “If we manage to get the attention of partners from China and the European Union to the route through Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, the growth prospects of cargo flows are simply tremendous. The traffic along the route from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea can be increased too but not as dramatically as along the EU-Asia route,” the expert said.

As was reported, in early April, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Gazprom to revive the Yamal-Europe 2 gas pipeline project via Belarus for improving the reliability of gas supplies to Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. The pipeline capacity is expected to total 15 billion cubic meters of gas per year. A feasibility study of the project is slated to be prepared within six months.