Belarusian officials demand cheap gas again

The Ministry of Economy of Belarus insists on one-time transition to equal income gas prices with Russia.

Minsk is set to insist on a simultaneous with Russia equal gas pricing, which envisages discussing a possibility to apply since 2011 decreasing coefficients to the price of gas supplied to Belarus, Deputy Economy Minister of Belarus Anatoly Filonau said to journalists, "Interfax" reports.

"We want simultaneous transition to equal income gas prices (with Russia)," Filonau said.

"If Russia plans transition equal income prices for export and home market gas supplies for Gazprom by 2014, by this period we should reach approximately the same correlation, the same level of prices. Simultaneously," Filonau explained the position of Minsk.

"The Belarusian side gives reasons for its position by saying that it would allow to create an equal competitive environment for Belarusian producers. Our spare parts are supplied back to Russian assembly factories, and at the moment we are at a disadvantage – energy prices are much higher here," Filonau said.

He supposes the gas issue is to be discussed at the session of the Council of Ministers of the union state, which is scheduled for October 15.

"This issue will be probably considered by the union’s Council of Ministers in the context of documents which are being prepared following the agreement to be concluded in the gas sphere," the deputy minister said, commenting on the possibility of talks on applying decreasing coefficients to the formula of the price of gas supplied to Belarus since 2011.

"I think this question is to be discussed," Filonau added again.

He also called "self-evident" the preparation of offers of the Belarusian side to amend the current contract aimed at decreasing coefficients applying.

As it was reported, according to Gazprom’s evaluation, under the conditions of the current contract and if the gas price which determines the formula of gas price for Belarus remains the same, the average gas price for Belarus in 2010 is to make $220 per 1 thousand cubic metres, as compared to $175-176 per 1 thousand cubic metres this year.