Information On "Gas" Credit Not Confirmed :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarusian Prime Minister press secretary Yawhen Myaleshka did not confirm information of some mass media that Belarusian government approved the project of credit agreement with Russia amopunting to 200 million US dollars. “The possibility of such a credit was discussed during the session of the presidium of the Council of Ministers of Belarus, but it is tool early to speak about it”, told Yawhen Myaleshka RIA Novosti.

As a source in the Belarusian government informed RIA Novosti, now the Russian side is to come to an agreement about clauses of the credit contract project. “The Belarusian side is interested in prompt signing of credit agreement with Russia, envisaging state Russian credit amounting to 200 million US dollars. The question of time of signing is a purely technical one. We are interested to sign it as soon as possible”, said the official.

According to his information, the project of the agreement envisages a credit line for Belarusian Ministry of Finance for paying off debts for Russian gas, and for buying Russian gas. In the project of the agreement it is stipulated that the credit is given for the term until the end of 2009, and its receipt to account is to start in 2004 in four equal parts.