Lukashenka has threaten EU to clock transit of Russian oil and gas
- 15.05.2008, 8:56
According to Russian mass media, Moscow won’t be happy with over the intention of Belarusian president to use the Kremlin’s weapons in his struggle with the West.
In an interview with Reuters, Lukashenka warned the European Union against joining the United States in imposing economic sanctions and reminded the bloc that Belarus was a transit country for Russian oil and gas exports to Europe. “…Don’t forget that 50 percent of your oil and oil products and 30 percent of your gas passes through Belarus and we have always been an effective partner.” He called Belarus “a bridge uniting extremes”. As said by Lukashenka, the West is trying to destroy the bridge over which oil and gas flow is streaming”.
As the Russian “Kommersant” writes today, blackmailing by transits of Russian oil and gas has been heard from the Belarusian leader for the first time. Besides, he has stated for the first time that he is set to run for the next, the fourth presidential term, if he won’t become a leader of the union state.
As noted by the newspaper, only Moscow used oil and gas blackmailing for foreign policy goals. Moscow has got used to playing the card of energy resources in its relations with Western countries. But Lukashenka’s threats are real too, as Yamal- Europe and Druzhba oil pipelines which are major oil pumping lines for oil from Russia to the EU pass through Belarus. About 70% of Russian oil was transported through them in better years.
Moscow is unlikely to be happy with the intention of Lukashenka to use the Kremlin’s ‘weapon’ in the struggle with the West, the newspaper writes. An indirect confirmation of that was a yesterday’s statement of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that Russia should implement project of oil pipeline BTS-2 through which Russian oil is to be delivered to Europe bypassing Belarus. However, time is needed to realize this project, and there is no alternative to Belarusian route so far.
In the same interview Lukashenka stated that he is set to ballot in 2011 for the fourth presidential term. “For the moment, I am healthy. The people are not especially critical of me and the West is beginning to understand. It is possible. So you can expect the worst,” Lukashenka said. At the same time he made a slip in speaking that “if the situation for me personally and in the country would change, the decision could be different”.
The newspaper reminds that during his latest address to the nation and to the “parliament” Lukashenka stated: “When I am speaking we are ready to build our union state with Russia, it is really so. It is not a game”. It means that the Belarusian leader hopes to make his dream true once and head the “union state”. This dream was once discussed with the first Russian president Boris Yeltsin by him, “Kommersant” believes.