Lukashenka had to abolish transit duty for oil transit :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarusian government has cancelled its decree on imposing a fee for transporting oil through Belarusian territory, told Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhei Sidorski on Wednesday. “Taking in consideration bilateral agreements with the Russian Federation, today the government has resolved to announce its decision on imposing state duty for oil transit via trunk oil pipelines to lose effect,” S. Sidorski said.

S. Sidorski reminded that on December 31, 2006 Belarusian governemtn decided to impose a duty on Russian oil transported through Belarus ($45 per ton). He specified that this decision had been passed by an inter-agency commission, and the government approved it.

As said by S. Sidorski, tomorrow he goes to Moscow for talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. In two days they are to lift all claims and misunderstanding in Russian oil deliveries, he said.

He added that the Belarusian delegation in Moscow headed by A. Kabyakou, had been instructed to carry out talks in lifting recruitments in mutual trade.

“We hope that Trasneft is to be instructed correspondingly,” the prime minister said.

S. Sidorski explained that Lukashenka encharged him with a task to go to Moscow after a telephone talk of the two leaders of the states.

As we have informed, Vladimir Putin has discussed with Alyaksandr Lukashenka on the phone problems of Russian oil transit via Belarus, the press-service of the Kremlin informs. “During the talks issues of economical cooperation of Russia and Belarus have been discussed, including the cooperation in the energy sphere, problems of Russian oil transit through the territory of Belarus,” the press-service noted, saying that the conversation had been held on initiative of the Belarusian side.

Meanwhile, the Belarusian side maintains that Minks and Moscow have stricken a compromise on issues of Russian oil transit through the territory of Belarus.

The press-service of Lukashenka informs that presidents of Russia and Belarus Vladimir Putin and Alyaksandr Lukashenka had a long phone conversation about relations of the two countries in the trade and economic sphere. During the conversation energy supplies of Belarus were discussed, and hydrocarbon production deliveries to Europe.

“As a result of the talk a compromise has been found, which would allow solving the existing stalemate, which also concerns Russian oil transit to European countries via the territory of Belarus,” the press-service of Belarusian president informs.