BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

07/01/2010

Talks on Russian oil supplies to Belarus underway in Moscow

MOSCOW, January 7 (Itar-Tass) - The talks on Russian oil supplies to Belarus are underway at the Russian Energy Ministry.

"The negotiations with the Belarusian side are continuing at the moment," the ministry's spokeswoman, Irina Yesipova, told Itar-Tass on Thursday. The negotiating process "is developing constructively, but it is "still early to speak about the results."

Yesipova expressed the hope that "the sides will reach an agreement shortly."

On Tuesday, the Belarussian delegation including Belneftekhim CEO Valery Kazakevich and Deputy Economics Minister Anatoly Filonov arrived in Moscow.

Belarus government spokesman Alexander Timoshenko told Itar-Tass ahead of the talks, if the experts coordinate a final version of the protocol, First Vice-Premier Vladimir Semashko will be ready to come to Moscow. Earlier, Minsk sent to the Russian side its proposals for finalizing the protocol on amendments to the Russian-Belarussian intergovernmental agreement on oil supplies of January 12, 2007.

On Monday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin instructed to promptly coordinate the conditions of hydrocarbon supplies to Belarus. At the meeting with Vice Premier Igor Sechin Putin expressed the hope that "the talks on this issue will be completed soon."

The prime minister also recalled that as of January 1, 2010, the agreement on the Customs Union among Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus entered into force.

"Along with this, the issue of hydrocarbon supplies is still beyond the framework of the Customs Union and special documents should be signed for this group of goods," he said. "They should enter into force as of July 1, 2010."

Sechin said taking into account exclusive relations with Belarus Russia offered to continue the preferential supplies in the volume necessary for internal consumption - up to 6 million tonnes.

"Russia handed over its proposals, but we still have no signed documents," he said. "The talks between the energy ministries of Russia and Belarus continue."

At the same time Sechin noted that the talks should not affect the transit of Russian oil through Belarus to western consumers, therefore the oil is pumped to Europe without failures. On January 3, oil supplies to the Belarus, Novopolotsk and Mozyr refineries began.

The state-run oil company Belneftekhim said Belarussian refineries and oil-pumping stations operate in a stable mode. The transit of Russian oil through pipelines takes place in a normal mode.

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=14702366&PageNum=0


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