Russia does not guarantee cheap natural gas for Belarus

Only after the signature of Putin November gas agreements will become legally binding.

The Russian government has approved at today's meeting the draft federal law on the ratification of the Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement about the procedure of price formation for natural gas supplies to Belarus and its transportation through pipelines located in Belarus, is written in a statement of BelTA.

The agreement, signed on November 25, 2011 in Moscow, binds the gas price for Belarus to the price paid by consumers of the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district of Russia, reports "Radio Svaboda".

To the agenda of the Russian government has also been included an agreement on the purchase of "Beltransgaz" by "Gazprom", which was signed last year together with the conditions of gas supply. The mentioned agreement prohibits Minsk to interfere in activities of "Beltransgaz" and sets a minimum extra-charge for the purchase of gas by Belarusian consumers in addition to the official price of gas for Belarus. The Russian side, in turn, promises to invest in updating the gas transportation system on the territory of Belarus and make the full use of its transit capabilities.

Both contracts now go to the Russian parliament for ratification. Only after the ratification and signature of President Putin November Belarusian-Russian gas agreements will become a legally binding bilateral international agreement.