Vladimir Putin (left) tried and satisfied the interest of Alexander Lukashenko (right) in his succor.
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
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Belarus Doesn’t Shop Around For Gas
// As Alexander Lukashenko assured Vladimir Putin
Friendship of Nations
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in his Sochi residence of Bocharov Ruchey yesterday. The meeting was held shortly before the start of the presidential election campaign in Belarus, and Putin tried to satisfy Lukashenko’s interest in him, according to Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov.
Belarusian journalists turned up at the press center an hour before the start of the talks and looked round with suspicion. They found something embarrassing in the easy ambience of the press center where computer tables were standing near tables of the buffet. Finally, a Belarusian journalist came up to the bar counter and asked timidly pointing at the beer faucet:
“Does the beer really flow from here?”
“It does,” the barmaid replied somewhat warily.
It has been flowing indeed since the time when Mr. Putin showed up here two years ago, as if by accident, and got surprised why there was no beer in this hot weather. So, beer is now always here, whatever the weather…
“But we don’t serve it for the moment,” the barmaid explained. “There’ll be no beer till the talks are over.”
It seems to me that the Belarusian journalist glanced at her with the mixture of relief and gratitude. Perhaps, he could not have kept himself under control if the faucet were working. So, the barmaid spared him many troubles.
“Dear Alexander Grigoryevich!” Mr. Putin addressed the Belarusian counterpart on the armchair next to him. Putin was sitting half-turned whether to Lukashenko or to a huge window overlooking the vacillating (and surely doubting) December Black Sea.
Belarusian President was looking around worriedly as if he was seeking succor. Suddenly, I understood what he was in short of. Last time, there was a dog called Koni here, or Khoni, as Alexander Lukashenko greeted it, though the animal did not understand what he was talking about.
“Allow me to greet you heartily!” Vladimir Putin went on.
So, he wanted to say that he greets some people just as that, while some people are welcomed heartily. By the way, Mr. Putin has been greeting Alexander Lukashenko, still reluctant to agree on Belarusia’s entry into the composition of Russia and into a United State, for a few years running. This meeting was in progress while Ukrainian Prime Minister Ekhanurov was holding an extraordinary meeting of all his deputy prime ministers and ministers in Kiev about Russian gas supplies. Thus, Mr. Lukashenko, a paragon of the partner fickleness, was priceless for Mr. Putin yesterday. The Belarusian president was speaking to him about the joint surface sensing and an agreement between Belarus and Kaliningrad Region but he naturally meant a different thing, which he changed to a few minutes later.
“However, there is a failure of the whole taxation system due to the transfer to new tax collection principles – levying the VAT according the country of consignment [the regulation has been in force since January 1, 2005, disappointing Russian exporters who now risk paying the VAT twice – in Russia and Belarus too. – A.K.]. I am sure it is only temporary,” Mr. Putin said. “Moreover, as I see the situation, both Russian and Belarusian partners sometimes have to work through markets of third countries, including, the Ukrainian market. Well, it is certainly positive that all possibilities are engaged,” Mr. Putin gave a sigh. “But we definitely need to improve this mechanism.”
“I absolutely confirm that our relations in trade are going well, though we have some blocks, but it did not take effect on the financial condition,” Alexander Lukashenko said. “We will technically adjust the VAT, but specialists are already groping for answers [he even showed with his hand how they are doing this. – A.K.]… We have things to trade, we have the demand – our demand here, and that of Russian goods on the Belarusian market. I don’t see particular problems.”
“The volume’s big!” Vladimir Putin perked up. “It's more than 12 billion dollars over the nine months!”
“We had 18 billion last year,” Mr. Lukashenko had to disappoint the Russian president and went on to a more agreeable topic.
“I would like to thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for the Government and the energy companies which fulfilled your instruction. We have almost worked out the contract on energy carriers supplies to Belarus following our accords. [The agreement regime is most sparing: Belarus will receive oil and gas from Russia at a price multifold less that market ones. For example, the Russian gas will flow to Belarus at $46.68 per 1,000 cu. meters. – A.K.] So, thank you very much. We have never had problems with that, and will never have.”
Belarusian President had really something to be thankful for to the Russian counterpart. On the other hand, words of the two presidents are now primarily directed to the Ukrainian leader, not to each other.
“We have learnt to economize, and we’ve done it all right,” Alexander Lukashenko gave the Russian president a pleasure. “This year, we will probably have the volume of gas underused as well as oil because that’s enough for our economy. So, we don’t have big problems here too, but we do have questions that I’d like to discuss with you face to face. We are getting close to presidential elections in Belarus, and you know what’s going on around our country so I’d like to brief you on this too. You also promised to tell me something,” Mr. Lukashenko uttered meaningly.
In other words, Belarusian President was determined to be paid off by Mr. Putin for his überloyalty he had been parading here, in this room, for a few minutes in a row.
The two really think that every word of theirs is worth their weight in gold.
Andrey Kolesnikov
All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 16, 2005
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