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Belarus wants Russian Gazprom to reduce natural gas price in 2020

Viktor Karankevich. An archive photo

MINSK, 9 April (BelTA) – The matter of reducing the price for Russian natural gas for Belarus in 2020 has been raised, BelTA learned from Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich on 9 April.

It is obvious that global prices for energy resources, including prices for natural gas, are falling now. In these circumstances the Belarusian side approached PAO Gazprom with a request to consider reducing the price for natural gas supplied to Belarus in 2020, the minister said.

As a way to revise the price Belarus suggested buying certain amounts of natural gas via commodity exchanges at competitive prices, Viktor Karankevich noted. Terms of implementing this mechanism will be discussed at forthcoming negotiations with the Russian side, he added.

The Belarusian energy minister was in the parliament on 9 April to present a protocol on amending the Belarus-Russia intergovernmental agreement on the procedure for setting prices (tariffs) on natural gas import to Belarus and natural gas transportation via the gas mains located in Belarus of 25 November 2011. The essence of the document is to prevent financial terms of natural gas deliveries to Belarus in 2020 from getting worse in comparison with last year.

The protocol was ratified by the House of Representatives of the National Assembly on 9 April.

The protocol extended the validity period of the intergovernmental agreement through 31 December 2020. The protocol is applicable to legal relations that emerged as of 1 January 2020.

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