The issue of the “fair price” for the Russian gas for Belarus was raised during the Mahiliou meeting of the Union State Council of Ministers.
“Based on our estimates,today the market netback parity price is $73 per 1,000 cubic meters,” said Uladzimir Patupchyk. Today, the gas price for Belarus is $142 per 1,000 cubic meters, reminds TASS.
Patupchyk stressed that Belarus “is not talking about a discount (for gas) but about the market netback parity price.”
“Today the price for Germany and Ukraine, net of customs duty, is significantly less than for Belarus,” said the Minister of Energy of Belarus. Therefore, he said, “we have all legal grounds to insist on the implementation of the comprehensive inter-governmental agreement (for gas).”
In April, Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kabyakou said that he considered $80 per 1,000 cubic meters a fair price for Russian gas.
On 12 May the head of the Russian Energy Ministry Alexander Novak said that the Belarusian debt for gas has already reached $125 million and continues to grow. In turn, Uladzimir Patupchyk noted that Belarus does not recognize the debt to the Russian state corporation Gazprom.
“There is no debt. Belarus pays in accordance with the intergovernmental agreements. This issue will be dealt with in court,” said Patupchyk.
The claim for recognition of the debt and its recovery was filed by Gazprom in the Arbitration Court at the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce.
