Medvedev: Belarus will get Russian gas next year cheaper than the neighboring countries by 30 40%

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev delivered speech to a group of Belarusian news media representatives on Monday at his headquarters in Barvija in the outskirts of Moscow. Medvedev told the Russian news agency (Novosti) The price of Russian gas to Belarus next year, 2010, will be less than for countries adjacent to it, by 30 40 percent. He pointed out that these declines would occur through the mechanisms established in the bilateral agreements, and the participation of Russia in the Belarusian gas transport network as well as the implementation of joint programs. The Russian leader said, "So it seems to me that it is too early to talk about the existence of certain problems between the two countries in trade in oil or gas." He believed that the discussion of this subject should not affect in any way the fate of the Customs Union (between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan). Medvedev added, "The overall size of the cuts obtained by the Belarusian economy for the duration of our gas trade natural gas and oil and other raw materials with Belarus, the accounts according to experts, nearly 50 billion dollars," he said, adding that the volume of similar reductions for Ukraine reached 75 to 100 billion. Medvedev pointed out that "these large numbers, which showed the level of the nearby private partnerships we enjoy with our neighbors."m.e