Lukashenka's administration accused Russia of corporate raid and attempt on sovereignty

Belarusian officials worry that the peace in the milk war could become a short ceasefire.

Last Wednesday the short milk war ended in signing an agreement on lifting milk products ban, after that Belarus lifted its customs control on roads to Russia. However, Minsk is cautious in the optimistic estimation of the situation, Reuters informs.

“The stipulations we have been initially speaking about, are accepted. At least, we can officialy state now, that the process of disputes’ adjustment has been started… we really hope that this difficult situation is on the way to complete fix-up,” Natalya Pyatkevich, deputy of the Belarusian president's staff, told reporters.

Speaking about the milk war itself, she noted that the decision to ban Belarusian milk imports to Russia was a surprise to Minsk.

“Belarus didn’t receive any official notice from the Russian Agency for Health and Consumer Rights, and we learnt about everything from the media,” Pyatkevich said.

She had to explain some publications in the official Belarusian press too.

“We were not pouring out milk, some milk was used for processing, some for feeding cattle, and cheeses were sent foe starage,” she said.

“We do not have damage as such, but we have received less profits than we were due. There are no winners in trade wars,” she summed up.

Recently it was informed Gazprom demanded Beltransgaz to pay off its $230 mln debt for gas supplies in January-April. The sum is the difference between the contracted price of supplies in January-April and de-facto payments by the Belarusian side according to the average annual price.

Minks called that infringement of gentlemen’s’ agreement.

“In the talks of Belarusian and Russian presidents verbal agreements were reached on the system of payment. It was said we would pay average annual price for a year. We proceeded from this agreement,” Pyatkevich said.

Te official Minsk is not sure conflicts with the ally would end at that.

“All this (trade conflicts) is just not elegant attempts to cover in fact raider’s seizures of Belarusian assets with the aim to deprive Belarus of economic sovereignty, collapsing industry, seize the political sovereignty as well,” a source close to the presidential administration of Belarus said to Reuters.

Amid the milk row Lukashenka gave a task to the Security Council to make a list of possible “actions which could bring economic damage to Belarus”.