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Union State

02.07.2010

S.Shukhno: Trade wars have a negative influence on Russian-Belarusian integration

Trade disputes in gas, oil, dairy and sugar spheres negatively affect both the integration and Union State formation, said S.Shukhno in Moscow on July 1st.

Trade disputes in gas, oil, dairy and sugar spheres negatively affect both the integration and Union State formation, said S.Shukhno in Moscow on July 1st.

In recent years, trade disputes between Moscow and Minsk have become a regular phenomenon. The latest of such trade disagreements is the gas dispute that arose in the second half of June this year. To this day neither Russia nor Belarus has taken their position as regards duties on Russian oil.

“Gas, oil, milk and sugar wars have become too frequent, which has a negative influence on both integration processes and Union State formation,” said Deputy State Secretary of the Union State Sergey Shukhno.

S. Shukhno noted that in fact there were no objective and sound reasons for the latest Belarusian-Russian gas dispute. “As a result of the conflict initiated by Gazprom, Belarus paid $186 million. In its turn Gazprom paid $228 million and recognized the remaining debt to Belarus for transit,” he reminded. “The dispute has caused tension in the European Union, was actively maximized in Russian mass media, and in most cases one-sidedly at that”.

In addition S.Shukhno cited the letter of President Alexander Lukashenko addressed to State Secretary of the Union State Pavel Borodin, in which the Belarusian leader noted that because of such disputes there are fewer and fewer Belarusians who support Russia, the people of Belarus start treating their eastern neighbor with suspicion, expecting various tricks from it.

Summing up the situation, S.Shukhno emphasized that during such complicated energy dialogue it is important for both Belarus and Russia to maintain the previously achieved level of cooperation. “Differences should be settled in a civilized way, in the form of a constructive dialogue,” he resumed.