Vice PM Syamashka fails to persuade Russia to lower gas price
The gas price negations have not brought any result for Belarus, TASS refers to Russian vice PM Arkady Dvorkovich. He negotiated with Belarusian vice PM Uladzimir Syamashka.
"There is no progress in the issue for Belarus,” the Russian vice PM said.
Minsk is negotiating with Russia in order to lower the gas prices, mass media reported earlier. Russia is refusing to lower the prices and the negotiations have already reached the level of vice PMs.
There is no plan to lower the gas price for Belarus, Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak said on May 28. Gas should cost $132 for 1 thousand cubic meters for Belarus now (down from $142), he said.
Belarus owes more than $125 million to Gazprom for the first four months of 2016, Russia believes. Meanwhile, there is no debt and gas should cost $73 for 1 thousand cubic metres, the Belarusian Ministry of Energy announced. It is not a discount, it is ‘a market price’, Belarusian Minister of Energy Uladzimir Patupchyk claimed.
