Vremya Novostey: Putin named the real price of the Belarusian sovereignty :: Charter'97 :: News

“Yesterday, at the traditional meeting with the Government members , Vladimir Putin thanked the Cabinet of Ministers for their persistence at the Russian Belarusian negotiations on oil transit. He estimated the result of the negotiations as a compromise acceptable for both parties. Thus, Putin actually ignored the Sunday’s escapades of his Belarusian colleague, the “Vremya Novostey” Russian newspaper reports today and features that in the course of the meeting,” Putin simply named the real price of the Belarusian sovereignty.”

It is to be mentioned that the day before Alyaksandr Lukashenka sharply appraised the behavior of Moscow in the oil clash with Minsk . In particular, Mr Lukashenka declared that ”the Russian party dared to trample under foot upon the union and to derail the whole country with its fraternal people” and also added that “Europe and the USA behaved honestly in this situation and offered us a support. We shall never forget that.”

Evidently, the Russian and Belarusian leaders have estimated the results of negotiations differently. For Moscow , though it was forced to make a compromise and step back from its previously announced export oil duties ambitions amounting to USD 180 per ton , it is more important ,yet, that the compromise resulted in resumption of the oil supplies to Europe.

But the Russia’s intention to transfer energy supplies to the market basis was interpreted by Alyaksandr Lukashenka in the following way: ”We are demanded to join the Russian Federation but being the first Belarusian President I am not going to bury the sovereignty and independence of the country”

Vladimir Putin did not reply sharply – he simply gave the price of the Belarusian sovereignty. Subsidies to the Belarusian economy ,taking into account all the reached agreements and concluded contracts , according to him, will amount to “around USD 3.3 billion” in the gas sphere and USD 2.5 billion in the oil and oil products deliveries sphere “.”USD 5.8 billion for energy supplies, only, is a support for the Belarusian economy”, considered the Russian President .”If we recall that, according to our Ministry of Finance the total budget of Belarus for 2007 comprises around USD 14 billion in the USD equivalent , then our support amounts to around 41 % of the budget.”

“ We can’t but agree that it is much, but I shall repeat once again that it is Russia’s payment for the quiet transfer of allies to the market relations and it is also a support of the Belarusian fraternal people, ” Vladimir Putin said. It is also worth mentioning that Russian subsidies have been not only for the Belarusian fraternal people support but also thee were the investments into the Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime. Now when Moscow realized that those investments haven’t paid off 41% of implicit budget subsidies may be considered the financial equivalent of the two peoples friendship. But according to Putin, the negotiations mainly resulted in “the transfer to market relations with our Belarusian partners , mostly, in the energy sphere…I believe, it is clear to the experts that this is a mild transfer, acceptable to both parties, which is to be realized gradually during several years .But the transfer to the new principles of this relationship development has been fixed by the documents , and that is the most important outcome’”, the President said.

He concluded his short speech to the ministers in the following way: ”Thanks to everyone who participated in that not a simple job. Let us take it seriously, like grown-ups , without fuss and emotions. The attained agreements have to be implemented in the manner of the recent negotiations.“

In the ministry of economic development which accounted for the major part of the negotiations with Belarusian functionaries it was confirmed by the evening that they were ready, according to the President’s advice , to strive for the implementation of the achieved agreements. The press-service of the ministry reported to Interfax that they were waiting for Minsk keeping its promises on removing certain barriers to the Russian goods .According to the functionaries of the ministry of economic development , they meant “nine trade barriers , two quarters and eight administrative measures.” The list of goods with restricted access to fraternal Belarus, among other items, includes beer and other hard drinks, sugar, cigarettes , tobacco, fish and sea-products as well as large and medium-sized vehicles.