Lukashenka asked Medvedev for a meeting

• 18.12.2008, 10:39

Alyaksandr Lukashenka is paying a working visit to Moscow on December 22, Monday. He phoned to Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

“Russian president Dmitry Medvedev had a phone conversation with Alyaksandr Lukahsneka on an initiative of the latter. They discussed questions of preparation for a planning working visit of the Belarusian president to Moscow, scheduled for December 22, the press service of the Russian head of state informs, ITAR TASS reports.

As the Charter’97 press center has already reported, a session of the Supreme State Council of the “union state”, scheduled for December 1, was delayed, and Alyaksandr Lukashenka didn’t come to Moscow as it was planned. Russian media say the session of the State Council was delayed because the Russian party proposed a gas price issue to the agenda at the last minute.

The Belarusian budget for next year is based on gas price of $140 per 1,000 cubic meters. Thought the forecasts show the prices wil be much higher in 2009 – about $200. “We see no grounds to review the acting contract,” Gazprom says. Official Minsk can’t expect contracted price drop.