Belarus plans to persuade Gazprom during May talks to cut gas price

<p> MINSK, May 14 - PrimePress. During talks with Gazprom in May 2020, Minsk will try to prove that $127 per 1,000 cubic metres is too steep a price for Russian gas. This follows from the statement made by Belarusian Prime Minister Sergey Rumas during a meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on May 14. </p> <p>   </p> <p> According to Rumas, the talks with Russia’s Gazprom are scheduled for May to discuss the price for natural gas. Ambassador Vladimir Semashko will represent Belarus at the negotiations, the press-service of the Belarusian government said in a release. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “I think we have a great chance to agree on a fair gas price for Belarus in 2020. I hope Russia will take our position into account,” said the prime minister. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “We can cite figures to prove that the price of $127 makes Gazprom's supplies to the Belarusian market more profitable than its supplies to non-CIS states,” the prime minister said. </p> <p>   </p> <p> The premier stressed that Belarus is not seeking any preferential price for gas or the price at the level for Russian regions. “Belarusians want a fair price, which would provide the same profitability for Gazprom as its supplies to other markets. The current negotiations do not cover any integration discount in the price, neither that of the Union State nor the Eurasian Economic Union,” said the prime minister. </p> <p>   </p> <p> In his words, the situation in the energy market has recently changed significantly compared to what it was like at the end of 2019, when Belarus and Russia agreed on a gas price and signed a contract. For spot gas supplies, the price per 1,000 cubic meters is $80 (under the contract with Russia, Belarus has to pay $127 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas). </p> <p>   </p> <p> Rumas also mentioned he had talks scheduled with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. They were postponed due to the illness of his Russian counterpart. </p> <p>   </p> <p> On his part, President Lukashenko put emphasis on the price of Russian natural gas supplied to Belarus. “Yesterday I received information that Russia sells natural gas in Europe during this difficult time at the price under $70: $65-68, but not at $127, as to Belarus. What is the situation here and what can we expect in the future? I raised this issue during the EEU video conference. Very soon we will have another video conference in the same format. I would like to know what has been done so far to reduce the gas for natural gas for Belarus.” </p> <p>   </p> <p> In Feb 2020, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Belarusian Ambassador to Russia Vladimir Semashko signed a document on the gas pricing formula for 2020, keeping the price for Belarus flat on the year at U.S. $127 per 1,000 cubic metres. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Since then, the Belarusian side has insisted that Russian gas for Minsk should cost less. Thus, Lukashenko demanded the implementation of the agreement on the transition to Russia’s domestic prices for supplies to Minsk: an agreement made in 2011 when Beltransgaz gas transportation company was sold to Gazprom. End </p>

2020-05-15

Primepress