Leanid Zaika: Russian "sharks" want to "swallow" Belarusian refineries
Euroradio has talked to the economist Leanid Zaika on why shipments of Russian oil to the Belarusian oil processing plants have been suspented, when petrol will disappear from our petrol stations and whether Hugo Chávez will be able to fill the tanks of the Belarusian automobilists.
Euroradio: As far as I understand, Russia's political interests in the oil field have gone to the background and Russian companies act in accordance with their business interests solely?
Leanid Zaika: First: not a single oil processing plant has been built in Russia for the last 20 years. Second: this is business, nothing personal! Belarusian plants in Mazyr and Novapolatsk are ruled by the state, with post-Soviet directors and managers - they are ridiculous from the points of view of the Russian sharks, the businessmen of the new generation. They just want to swallow them and that's natural.
And then: Belarusian enterprises are a nice cheap lure. The Russian business needs to get them and that's what it does.
Euroradio: Is this happening now? I mean absence of oil shipments from Russia since the New Year.
Leanid Zaika: Absence of oil shipments, and then they will find out there are no catalysts, then - that the tubes are of wrong diameter, then - that there is no currency to buy oil, there's a lack of Russian roubles. This is a positioned struggle for property.
Euroradio: What is your prognosis: will petrol disappear from the Belarusian petrol stations? If so, when, if not - where will it come from then?
Leanid Zaika: I would gladly wait until the Belarusian petrol disappears from the Belarusian petrol stations. I would start filling my tank with Russian petrol with pleasure, which would cost not 2 870 roubles, but 2 000 sharp, for example. I am waiting for this moment to come. We have a common customs area! No one prevents you from taking two barrels of petrol in Smalensk and deliver them here. And sell to the Ministry of Power's officials.
Euroradio: However, as far as I understand, the Venezuelan oil tankers which still arrive to Belarus, kind of postpones this situation?
Leanid Zaika: All this is ridiculous and reminds dribbling of junior football teams at the "Skin Ball" tournament. Big, serious oil comes only from Russia. Secondly, we live in the Customs Union, we have signed and ratified 17 documents on the single economic area. The President went there, giving his report to the people. We have re-elected the President. Everything should have been ok, and the prices for petrol should be equal in Russia, in Belarus, in Kazakhstan. These prices are market ones, so they should be maintained at one and the same level, and if this doesn't happen - there's no point in the Customs Union. What happens in the last months reflects poor economic preparedness of the officials, who do not understand what they created. And they created the Customs Union! That's it! Neither Venezuelan, nor some Brasilian oil play no more roles in that!
Euroradio: As far as I remember, it is not allowed to trade oil products made of Venezuelan oil, within the Customs Union of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan. Does this mean, that petrol made of Venezuelan oil will not appear at the Belarusian petrol stations?
Leanid Zaika: When I was young and gave lectures in the universities of different countries, including Belarus, I explained to the third year students: if there is a Customs Union, we should draw a red circle around the countries-its members. They close their internal markets! That's it - close! And Venezuelan oil can appear there only on a temporary basis and processing. Goods, services, working force and capitals move freely within the customs union. All the others, coming from outside, are sent to hell or whatever.
To tell a long story short, Belarusian automobilists should only wait for the Russian and Belarusian businessmen to agree on the prices for the Eastern oil to come to our oil-processing plants again. In any case, it won't cause any damage if they fill a full tank of petrol.
Photo: belsat.eu
