Belarusian president orders shutdown of gas transit to Europe
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Minsk on Tuesday that he had ordered to close gas transit to Europe via Belarus, Russian and Belarusian media reported.
"I have ordered the government to suspend the traffic of Russian gas through Belarus until Gazprom pays the debt for the transit," said Lukashenko, who believed "Gazprom owes us, not we owes Gazprom."
"Until we are paid for the last six months, gas transit will not continue," said Lukashenko.
The Belarusian leader meanwhile offered to offset the country's gas debt with Russian state gas monopoly.
"Gazprom owes us 260 million U.S. dollars, which includes transit in May," he said. "We owe them 190 million dollars, and they (Gazprom) owe us 260 million dollars. It is absurd that we are not paying off this debt. Unfortunately, gas row is becoming a gas war between Gazprom and Belarus."
Russia for its part insisted instant payment of the debt due, which Lukashenko believed has posed "open pressure" in this situation.
The Belarusian leader meanwhile said his country has found money and would pay for Russian gas "soon," but the money was borrowed from his friends since the country has no free money to pay off the debt.
Belarusian state gas company Beltransgaz earlier on Tuesday said it would siphon off Russian gas supplies to Europe for its own need, the RIA Novosti reported citing Belta agency.
The move followed Russian Gazprom's further cut of gas supplies to Minsk by 30 percent earlier in the day over a debt of 200 million U.S. dollars for gas Belarus consumed.
Minutes before the presidential announcement, a spokeswoman from Belarusian Energy Ministry ensured that Minsk would continue to honor its gas transit commitment in full, despite the 30 percent cut in gas supplies.
"Transit of natural gas via the Belarusian gas transport system and along the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline is being carried out in full, despite the reduction in supplies for domestic needs," Lyudmila Zenkovich said.
According to Zenkovich, Belarus did not tap gas from its transit pipeline but had to switch a number of its power plants to reserve fuel.
"Without waiting for Gazprom to pay for the transit of Russian gas through the territory of Belarus, Belarus has paid in full for the Russian gas supplied to it in May," she added.
The European Commission was mulling over an emergency meeting to settle the gas debt disputes between the two countries on Tuesday.
The RIA Novosti reported citing a Commission spokeswoman Marlene Holzner that the Commission would hold a working meeting with Belarus, which had previously notified Brussels of the possible gas transit disruptions.
Holzner said earlier on Tuesday that the gas cuts may affect 6.25 percent of consumption volumes of the European Union.
Belarus is a transit country for part of Russian gas exports to Europe. The latest gas dispute has become a reminder of the early 2009 row between Moscow and Kiev that left some European countries heatless in the depths of winter.
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