Lukashenka and Medvedev didn’t agree on gas

A joint declaration on cooperation was signed by Russian and Belarusian heads of states Dmitry Medvedev and Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Brest on 22 June after bilateral negotiations. Judging the results of the talks, no breakthroughs in the relations between the two countries are expected, Kommersant daily runs.

The declaration expresses commitment to the treaty on formation of a “united state” and stresses the necessity to activate the efforts on trade and economical developing. “This agreement didn’t apparently allow the parties to discuss prices of Russian gas supplies to Belarus,” the edition notes.

Medvedev said during a meeting with war veterans the “united state” of Russian and Belarus existed, but it was necessary to “fill it with real content”. It is apparently planned to make it later, not during this visit, or the next one, the newspaper supposes.

“If trade and economic ties between Russian and Belarus are developing, all projects in political sphere are frozen,” Tamara Guzenkova, expert from the Russian Institute of Strategic Researches, said to “Vedomosti”. That is why the heads of states have focused on economy.

The both heads of states gave generous praises to the process of formation of the “union state”. “The movement forward is very good," Medvedev said. “We don’t need to set unreal tasks, we just need to observe the agreements,” Medvedev revealed a secret of success.

Meantime, as “Vremya Novostei” newspaper notes, the word “gas” is the most painful issue in the relations between the two countries, wasn’t mentioned in press. It has remained unknown, if any new agreements on prices, Minsk will buy Russian gas at, were reached.

Vice minister of the Belarusian government Andrei Kabyakou said last week Moscow should correct a contract on gas supplies, signed in 2006. The point of the document is that Belarus must buy gas at European prices by 2011. Now it buys gas at the lowest price among the CIS countries – USD 128 per 1,000 cu m. The price can grow up to USD 200 the next year, and up to USD 400 in 2011. The Belarusians think the contract should be reconsidered, because Russia itself reviewed its plans on transmission to European prices at inner market in 2011.