Belarus Says Paying Agreed Price for Russian Gas

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Belarus pays according to the agreed price for its Russian gas supplies and complies with all the necessary requirements, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said Thursday.

"Fortunately, we pay 100-percent of the price for Russian gas supplies. If we did not pay at all, there would be a fuss. We accurately fulfill [our obligations] despite all the complexities," Semashko said when giving a  speech at a parliamentary meeting.

Last month, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Minsk owed Moscow more than $125 million for gas deliveries in January-April. Minsk refused to recognize the debt, saying that Belarus paid in line with the intergovernmental agreement, which is seen differently by both Moscow and Minsk.

Belarus has also been seeking to reduce the price it pays for gas purchased by Minsk from Moscow from $142 per 1,000 cubic meters to about $73. In late May, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and Semashko held negotiations on gas prices, but failed to reach a conclusive decision on the issue.