Lukashenka: Gazprom threatens to double gas price for Belarus in 2008 (video)
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8:33, — Politics
Gazprom threatens to double gas price for Belarus within a year, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said in the interview to Russia Today TV and Russian news agency RIA Novosti. BelTA learnt it from the press service of the Belarusian leader.
He reminded the Russian party had raised gas prices and imposed oil export duties last year that created hard conditions for the Belarusian economy. “We had to dispose about 3 billion of hard cash from economy to pay. It’s big money for Belarus. It’s not money for Russia in comparison with current currency flow to the country,” the head of state noted.
“Natural gas has become two times expensive. We managed to cope with the situation. But we are threatened gas price will be doubled within a year. Say now, how can we create a union state if Gazprom rate of return from Belarus is equal to its return from Germany? In what way have we offended Russia that they treat us as Germany?” Alyaksandr Lukashenka said.
According to him, Russia unjustly treats Belarus, which is a partner of the union state. Alyaksandr Lukashenka stressed acts of the Russian government towards Belarus make the republic search for new market outlets. As the head of state noted export to Russia estimated 85 per cent some years ago, today it is less then 50 per cent. While export rate to the European Union is growing. “The last events have shown one can’t target to just one market, even if it is a fraternal close state due to the superpragmatic position the government of the Russian Federation chose,” the president noted.
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