CHEAPER GAS FOR BELARUS? MOSCOW DICTATES TERMS OF THE DEAL

SOURCE: PREMIER.GOV.RU

24 December 2020 CHEAPER GAS FOR BELARUS? MOSCOW DICTATES TERMS OF THE DEAL

The Russian government has accepted a draft agreement to provide Belarus with a loan of $1 billion in 2020 and 2021. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a relevant decision on December 21. Meanwhile, Moscow has no intention of forgiving Minsk on any contentious economic and financial matters. This applies to gas prices. A few days earlier, the Russian ambassador to Minsk had spoken on the issue, setting out under which conditions Russia would grant gas discounts to Belarus.

Russian Ambassador to Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev told journalists that if Minsk asked for a discount for Russian natural gas in 2021, Moscow had the right to get Belarusianproduced goods at lower price. “If one side asks for a discount, then the other side has the right to count on a similar approach, on a discount for certain groups of goods,” the diplomat was quoted as saying. The diplomat recalled about cooperation between two equal and independent countries. “Whether our ties are deep depends on the readiness