Belarusian authorities continue to bulldoze Kyiv

Official Minsk does not give ratification instruments and demands Kyiv to pay $130 million of the alleged state debt.

It is written by "Kommersant Ukrainy" with a reference to sources in diplomatic circles.

According to the source, the conflict between Kyiv and Minsk has already resulted in disruption of bilateral high-level negotiations. Last Friday, May 28, a meeting of Ukrainian and Belarusian presidents Viktor Yanukovych and Alyaksandr Lukashenka was planned in Baturin, Chernihiv region. The regional traffic police has even disseminated a warning that the road from the Belarusian border to Baturin would be blocked, however the visit didn't took place.

Besides, as said by the source in the presidential administration of Ukraine. the meeting had been prepared till the last minute, and only on the eve of it a decision was adopted to cancel the meeting. "Minsk has made it clear that they are not going to finish the ratification procedure and enter into effect the agreement on the border. In such situation a summit meeting had no sense, and we agreed to cancel it," said the Ukrainain diplomat.

We remind that the agreement between Belarus and Ukraine on the state border was signed in 1997 and was ratified by Ukraine in the same year. For 13 years Belarus abstained from its ratification. Minsk demanded frm Kyiv to pay the debt of Ukrainian economic entities to Belarus first. The debt had accumulated since 1992. Kyiv refused to acknowledge this debt.

In late 2009 Lukashenka and Yushchenko stated that the problem was resolved. In return to writing off the debt Ukraine promised to sell Belarus electricity at a favourable price for reexport to Lithuania. Soon the agreement on the state border was recieved by the Belarusian parliament, in April of this year the document was ratified by the both "chambers", and on May 21 it was signed by Lukashenka. The sides had to exchange ratification instruments, however Minsk refused to hold this formal procedure.

Sources claim that the formula of compensation agreed upon in November 2009 has remained not implemented. "Belarus buys electricity at a price of a wholesale market. It is very cheap, and they get good profit from re-export. But they want to buy it even cheaper. And we cannot give additional discount because of limitations provided by the laws," stated one of the interlocutors.

The sum of the state debt not recognized by Ukraine remains not agreed upon as well. In different periods different figures were named in the talks, up to $226 million. Last year a source in the group of negotiators stated that the presidents approved a compensation of $50 million, however today this agreement is not in force. "Belarusians are speaking about a debt of $130 million. But I insist: forget it, we won't reimburse such a sum," said one of the Ukrainian diplomats.