Putin felt in no mood to talk to Sidorski about gas costs and credits
- 15.08.2008, 17:34
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin received Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhei Sidorski yesterday. A “timid” position of Belarus in relation to South Ossetia conflict has resulted in an offer to Alyaksandr Lukashenka first to find agreement with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Economic talks, on loans and Russia gas prices have been postponed till September-October.
The meeting of the heads of governments of the “union state” was surprisingly cold, and for the first time no journalists were present, Russian “Kommersant” writes. The White House restricted itself to placing of the first minutes of the shorthand report of the meeting at the official website of the government. Instead of discussing economic problems, Syarhei Sidorski had to explain the position of Belarus towards the war of Russia in Georgia. The Belarusian Prime Minister has informed about his readiness to send humanitarian aid to the region of the conflict and promised to receive 2,500 Ossetian children.
The aim of Sidorski visit to Moscow was the different. On the eve of the visit he told about his desire to agree on decrease of price for Russian gas in 2009, and on receiving a long-term loan of $2 bn. According to Gazprom’s calculations, Russian gas for Belarus in 2009 will grow in price and will cost $200 per thousand square metres.
Even now high prices for energy resources influence the Belarusian economy negatively. According to information of the Russian Ambassador to Belarus Alexander Surikov, “the credit balance deficit in the first half of the year is more than 6 bn dollars”. In 2009 the balance of payments of Belarus could become even worse.
Last week both Moscow and Minsk were getting ready to a much more meaningful discussion on economic problems. On August 6 Russian Ambassador Surikov offered Belarusian authorities “to return to the beginning of talks on single currency”. But on August 12 Russian Ambassador to Belarus publicly accused the Belarusian leadership for “modest” position towards the conflict in South Ossetia.