Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered power supplies to be resumed to Belarus after the former Soviet neighbor paid its arrears on electricity bills, the president’s spokeswoman said on Saturday.
Belarus has been struggling to pay for electricity from Russia amid an economic crisis in the former Soviet republic that has left hard currency in short supply. In early June, Belarus's electricity debt amounted to 1.5 billion rubles.
Medvedev’s spokeswoman Natalia Timakova said on Saturday the president had given the instructions to restart power supplies after a telephone conversation on Saturday with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin who reported that Belarus had paid off its debts for April and May.
“Considering that Minsk [the capital of Belarus] has met its financial obligations, the president ordered power supplies to be resumed to Belarus as stipulated by the contracts,” Timakova said.
Russia’s Inter RAO halved electricity supplies to Belarus on June 9 as a warning and then halted deliveries late on June 28.
Russia covers 12 percent of Belarus's energy needs.
Medvedev orders power supplies to be resumed to Belarus
© RIA Novosti . Vladimir Rodionov
/ Subscribe
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered power supplies to be resumed to Belarus after the former Soviet neighbor paid its arrears on electricity bills, the president’s spokeswoman said on Saturday.
