Lukashenka hopes gas price to come down before end of 2009

Gas price for Belarus is to be reduced over the year 2009, and after the New Year the issue of recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is allegedly to be considered.

It was stated by Alyaksandr Lukashenka yesterday, when he was on the visit to Brest region.

“Gas price for Belarus will be coming down. Since January 1 to December 31, 2009 it is to be reduced considerably, about 2.5-3 times, and in average will be acceptable for us the next year,” the Belarusian leader said.

Commenting the results of talks between presidents of Belarus and Russia, which took place in Moscow, Alyaksandr Lukashenka stated that the sides found agreement on all issues. According to him, Belarus is grateful for these agreements and will not leave a favour unanswered, BELTA informs.

“We shall work it out. And has found understanding in the leadership of the Russian Federation. We came to an agreement although the debates were heated,” the Belarusian leader said.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka stressed that the negotiations were not easy. “The situation was not the worst for us, nevertheless, we did not play against the Russian Federation in this situation. There are no impediments from our side in addressing the issues Russia has set forth including in the military-political, diplomatic, social and economic areas. We accept all the proposals and are ready for negotiations on them”.

“Chamber” to consider recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after New Year

Alyaksandr Lukashenka does not exclude that after the New Year the Belarusian parliament may consider addresses of South Ossetia and Abkhazia concerning recognition of their independence, Interfax informs.

“After the New Year our parliament is to consider these issues, and if there would ne will of the nation and of the parliament, the president will sign a decree about that [about independence recognition],” Lukashenka stated.

The Belarusian leader told that the issue was discussed with the Russian leadership during the talks in Moscow on December 22. “Issues of Abkhazia, South Ossetia were a detail in our negotiations,” Lukashenka said. As said by him, “these issues are issues of our relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia”.

Lukashenka charged Russian mass media with manifestations of “imperial syndrome”

Alyaksandr Lukashenka believes that informational provocations by Russia before the meeting of the two presidents are manifestations of imperial syndrome.

“This imperial syndrome is eating some Russian officials. These actions are banal; we know beforehand how they would give away this “compromising information”. It makes us simply tired. They are not able to invent something new, but always say they are so great and others crawl on their knees to them,” he said.

As said by A. Lukashenka, he expressed his reaction to that at the meeting with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow: Belarus is no in way an idler, and hadn’t come to beg for something. “You know my attitude to these things. This time I responded to that “compromising information” and threats to the Belarusian side harshly, and you saw how the tonality of Russian mass media changed on the next day,” he underlined.

Note by charter97.org: When gas price is to reduce 2.5-3 times before the end of the year, does it mean that Lukashenka managed to agree upon a price which exceeds 200 and more dollars for the beginning of the year? Maybe, reports of the Russians that gas cost for Belarus remains European and has considerably grown as compared to the last year, were exact.