In furtherance of yesterday’s meeting between Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Mikhail Myasnikovich, his Belarusian counterpart, a telephone conversation took place today between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Vladimir Semashko, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus.

The parties reached an agreement to continue in September the negotiations on purchasing a 50 per cent stake in Beltransgaz as well as on entering into new gas supply and transit contracts.

“Considering that the negotiations will continue in autumn, that is, on the eve of the heating season, we will have to take an integrated approach to obtaining a shareholding in Beltransgaz by Gazprom as well as to the terms and conditions for Russian gas supply and transit, although we are reluctant to do this. It is not our fault that the negotiating process has, unfortunately, dragged on. Our colleagues have overlooked the time when they could first settle the Beltransgaz-related issues and then sign the gas supply and transit agreements as a 100 per cent owner of the company. Nevertheless, we have every opportunity to settle the outstanding issues long before the expiry of the existing contract for gas supply to Belarus,” said Alexey Miller summarizing the telephone conversation.