“Uralkaliy” Main Shareholder Disclaims Lukashenka’s Demands

“Uralkaliy” offered “Belaruskaliy” to resume partnership.

“Uralkaliy” has made several offers on resuming the partnership with “Belaruskaliy” but they have not been accepted,” – key shareholder of “Ukralkaliy” Dmitri Mazepin has said, Vedomosti reports. According to him, the negotiations remain in the non-active phase now:

“They (the negotiations) seem to be on a sleeping pause. We have made several offers but they have not been accepted,” – Mazepin has informed.

“Our relations with “Belkaliy” seem unexcitable, but I still think we need to have some touchpoints and compromises. I have been paying much effort to this during the last three years. Still, it feels like we lack something,” – the main shareholder added.

“The officials (in Belarus) seem to have some other vision of the development strategy,” – he has noted.

According to Mazepin, he had several meetings with Lukashenka:

“Here are his terms: if we are speaking about creating a joint company, it should be located in Belarus, this issue is probably discussable. However, the way it should be ruled, and by whom – this is an issue to discuss,” – the businessman added.

Let us remind, in 2012 there happened a conflict between Belarus and Russia, which was named “The Potassium War” later on. Kerimov, by the way, tried to purchase “Belaruskaliy” in an honest way. However, in 2011 Lukashenka set the price of $ 30 billion, which was twice as much as its real value at that time. And then he said the standard-bearer of the Belarusian industry wasn’t for sale.

Later, General Director of “Uralkaliy” Vladislav Baumgertner was arrested and charged with abuse of power and office. It turned out it was planned to arrest Kerimov and Voloshin as well.

Baumgertner was released upon the request of Russia’s Prosecutor General. The potassium conflict resulted in huge losses of the Belarusian economy due to reduction of the oil supplies and the export of potassium fertilizers.