Belarusian and Russian companies were not able to independently agree on the price of oil deliveries to Belarus in 2011, and they won't be resumed, at least, until January 20. Now the issue will be resolved at the level of Heads of Governments of the two countries Mikhail Miasnikovich and Vladimir Putin, said a source in the Belarusian government.
Talks on «oil» issue were held on Monday, January 17 between the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, responsible for the energy sector, and his Belarusian counterpart, Vladimir Semashko. «It was a preparation for the meeting to be held on Thursday,» said a source.
Meeting of Prime Ministers of Belarus and Russia in Moscow is scheduled for January 20, according to Reuters. «The Belarusian Prime Minister is expected to discuss the question of oil supplies with Vladimir Putin. Since this question haven’t been resolved by the companies, it goes to a higher level,» said a spokesman for the Belarusian government.
Termination of the Russian oil supplies to Belarus has already led to the fact that Minsk has stopped supplying diesel fuel to Europe, although the delivery of the Russian oil to the European consumers via «Druzhba» pipeline are carried out without restrictions.
Russian oil companies insist on the need to raise the oil price for Belarus by $45 per ton. Russia explains this fact by the world oil price growth, as well as by Belarus’ 12.5% increase of «black gold» transit tariff since February 1, 2011. Russia was to have supplied Belarus with 1.5 million tons of oil in January, but the deliveries haven’t been carried out since January 1 up to now.
