Contents tagged with Belarus
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Lukashenko: Belarus ready to integrate with Russia, but without coercion
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that the country is ready for real integration with Russia, but without coercion.
“We remain, as always, committed to real integration, without coercion to integrate. And it’s strange that this began with Belarus being coerced to integrate. You understand what I’m referring to,” said Lukashenko during a meeting with Mikhail Myasnikovich, Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission College, as cited by BelTA.
He pointed out that even with Boris …
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Belarus to receive first batch of oil from Azerbaijan
In March, Belarus will receive its first batch of oil from Azerbaijan – 160,000 tons.
When Russia failed to reach an agreement with its “brother Belarus” on oil prices, it essentially lost this market, and gave Minsk an opportunity to select suppliers independently. As a result, Belarus has been receiving deliveries of black gold from other countries since January, eliminating Rosneft’s monopoly.
In January, Belarus received its first batch of Norwegian oil through the Lithuanian port of …
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Russia to pay Belarus more than $60 million for dirty oil
Russia and Belarus have signed a protocol on compensation for the dirty oil which ended up in the Druzhba pipeline in spring 2019, based on a calculation of $15 per barrel, said Vladimir Sizov, deputy head of the Belarusian state oil concern Belneftekhim, as cited by BelTA.
The compensation rate applies to 563,000 tons of dirty oil that was processed by the Mozyr refinery, Belneftekhim spokesperson Alexander Tishchenko explained to RBC. In this way, Belarus could receive $61.6 million from …
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Ukrainian foreign minister predicts war between Russia and Belarus, warns Belarus not to expect help from the West
Russia and Belarus could end up at war with each other, because Moscow cannot let Minsk pursue an independent policy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told the Czech newspaper Respekt in an interview.
“A few years ago I spoke to a few Belarusian journalists, and when I told them officially that if they want to remain independent, they will face the same war, the same difficulties and the same suffering as us, they did not believe me. Perhaps now they doubt less,” said Prystaiko.
“Of …
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Lukashenko refuses to ‘kneel before Putin every New Year’s Eve’
Belarus will continue to diversify oil purchases from other countries even if it costs more than buying Russian oil, said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with the staff of the Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Plant.
The Belarusian President explained that he was ready to pay more "so that, every year on December 31, not to kneel" before Putin.
"It shouldn't be like this, and it won't be," he said.
The Belarusian president also spoke about the pressure of Putin, who wants the …
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Belarus to buy Russian oil at global market prices
First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Dmitry Krutoy, commenting on the talks held in Sochi on February 7, said that the Belarusian oil refineries will buy oil from Russia at global market prices.
"If we talk about the agreement on oil, the oil market, the Russian side agreed that Belarusian refineries will buy oil under agreement with Russian oil companies at prices that are set on the global market," said Krutoy as cited by Belta news agency.
Minsk intends to continue working with all …
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Lukashenko: Belarus to repay Russia $1 billion per year on old loans
Belarus will pay Russia $1 billion per year for previous loans and will not ask for “any money at all”, and proposes “honest, transparent and sincere” bilateral cooperation, said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, as cited by BelTA.
The US pays Russia “1.5% for keeping their foreign currency there” but Belarus pays 4-6%, Lukashenko explained: “This just couldn’t make us happier – paying Russia $1 billion per year. They’ve invested their money successfully.”
The president remarked that …
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Number of Belarusian supporters of union with Russia down by a third
The number of Belarusian citizens who support the idea of a union state with Russia has declined by 20 percentage points in the last year, Kommersant reports, citing the results of a sociological study by Andrey Vardomatsky’s Belarusian Analytical Workshop.
While at the start of 2019, more than 60% of Belarusians advocated a union with Russia, by December this figure had dropped to nearly 40%.
At the same time, sociologists have been observing a growth in the number of supporters of Belarus …
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Belarus hikes tariff on Russian oil transit by 6.6%
The Belarusian Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) has decided to hike the tariff on the transit of Russian oil through the country by 6.6%, the department announced on its website.
The tariff increase is calculated according to a special formula. “The tariff hike amount has been determined… as the average annual consumer price index established by parameters of Russia’s predicted socio-economic growth in 2020, amounting to 3.6%, plus three percentage points,” the ministry …
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US Secretary of State offers to cover 100% of Belarus’ oil and gas needs
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that the United States is willing and able to provide Belarus with 100% of its oil and gas.
Pompeo is the first secretary of state to visit Belarus in 26 years and arrived in Minsk amid new tensions between Minsk and Moscow over energy. In a meeting with authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, Pompeo said he hoped to help provide an opportunity for Belarus to achieve the "sovereignty" and "independence" it seeks.
"The United States …