Senior researcher of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nikolai Rabotyazhev, believes that the declaration of gas prices increase for Belarus in the next year is a thoughtful way of Gazprom's bargaining with respect to Minsk. According to the Russian expert, this move is nothing else but an instrument of psychological pressure.
The expert believes that Gazprom is still going to buy Beltransgaz, Regnum-Belarus informs. «That’s why I suppose that the Russian side wants to put pressure on Belarus, setting high prices, and thus make Lukashenko to beat down the price of the shares of Beltransgaz and Mozyr Oil Refinery», Nikolai Rabotyazhev said.
As the expert said, earlier the president of Belarus «declared his readiness to sell a controlling stake of Beltransgaz and Mozyr Oil Refinery» and it was assumed that in this case, gas would be supplied to Belarus at a lower price, or at least the price would not increase rapidly.
«I think eventually the parties will come to the decision that Russia will buy both enterprises, and the gas price will be set at 160-170 dollars per thousand cubic meters. Anyway, Belarus will not be able to pay 250 dollars», Nikolai Rabotyazhev is sure.
In the materials announced on June 6 for the annual meeting of shareholders of Russian gas monopoly, it was stated that in the future Gazprom was ready to supply to the Belarusian side not more than 22.5 billion cubic meters of gas for a total «ceiling» of 5.625 billion dollars. This way, the price of Russian gas for Belarus will be 250 dollars per thousand cubic meters.
