Siamashka: Negotiations On Gas Are Not Easy, Issue Isn’t Resolved Yet

The deputy prime minister has stated that the April talks with Russia did not resolve the gas issue.

The negotiations on gas are not easy, as for today, the problem has been settled by half. First Deputy Prime Minister Uladzimir Siamashka informed the "house of representatives" about it, tut.by writes.

He notes that the April agreements with Russia allowed to resolve the problem with oil, but negotiations on the gas-pricing formula for 2020-2024 continue.

reminds that this year, Belarus buys gas at 143.6 dollars per thousand cubic meters, the price will be 129 dollars in 2018, and 127 dollars per thousand cubic meters in 2019.

"We are negotiating on the gas-pricing formula for 2020-2024, in order to enter the single market of gas and oil by January 1, 2025, that is, the gas price on the Belarusian border is to be at the level of the gas price for the Smolensk region. Today its price is 2-2.1 times higher," – Siamashka notes.

As a result, the first vice-premier notes that, despite the integration processes, gas is significantly more expensive for Belarusian producers, compared to their Russian competitors, and "it is impossible to talk about a level playing field."