Solvent business: new schemes

Official Minsk may repeat the solvent-thinner swindle, only with biodiesel this time.

“It is most likely that it will be biodiesel. It is obvious that the Belarusian party is unable to follow the agreements signed with Russia. We can only see the endless promises and constant aspiration to grab more and live at someone else’s expanse”, - a Russian political scientist and economist, deputy dean of the Faculty of International Economy and World Politics of the Higher School of Economics of Russia’s government Andrei Suzdaltsev told in an interview to Belarusian-Russian News.

In January-February 2013 Minsk undersupplied 350 thousand tons of petrol and diesel fuel to Russia. Andrei Suzdaltsev believes that these oil products went to the European market.

“This is a real fraud in the spirit of the 90-ies. Imagine, someone gave you  apple planting stock and land for growing a garden on the condition that you will then sell apples at the price of 100 roubles a kilo. However, these apples cost twice as expensive at the next door market. It is a shame to lose such a profit. You go to the owner of the planting stock and suggest to buy the apples for 199 roubles a kilo. Having received a rejection, you spread your arms as if saying “we wanted to have a deal, but it is you who is not buying”. Something similar happened several years ago, when during the creation of a joint enterprise on the basis of Beltransgaz and Gazprom the Belarusian party requested an incredible amount of money for the 50% of the shares”, - Suzdaltsev says.

Counting on receiving around 23 million of crude oil from Russia this year, the Belarusian refineries are capable of processing it. Even more so that Russian refineries will start renovation in the second quarter of the year. The Belarusian authorities will start blackmailing Moscow at from the third quarter with a joint enterprise MAW-KAMAZ.

“It is quite possible that this is what will happen. In the first quarter Belarus received 7 million tons from Russia. In the second quarter Russian refineries will mostly start renovations. That is why Russia will not manage to process the due amounts of raw materials on its own. In the third quarter Belarusian leadership will most likely blackmail the partners with a joint MAW-KAMAZ enterprise. The will presume that the fulfillment of the agreements depends on the shipments of oil. And Belarusian refineries are powerful enough to process it”, - the political scientist notes.