MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Belarus refuses to supply petroleum products to Russia in the amounts agreed earlier, the Vedomosti newspaper has reported, citing officials and a source familiar with the discussion.
Over the past years, Russia sold oil to Belarus on domestic prices and Minsk supplied oil products. The plan for 2015 envisaged the supplies of 23 million and 1.8 million tons, respectively.
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Last week, the Belarusian delegation arrived in Moscow to meet with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, the report says citing three federal officials.
Minsk wants to receive 5.7 million tons of oil in the second quarter of 2015, the source who participated in the negotiations said. The schedule for the second quarter was signed on Friday, a representative of the Energy Ministry said.
The supplies of oil and petroleum are part of the agreements between Russia and Belarus on establishing the Eurasian Economic Union in 2015.
Minsk changed its plans amid the ruble devaluation as the prices for oil products in Russia became lower than the export parity price (export price minus customs duty and transport expenses). It has become more advantageous for Belarus to supply petroleum to other countries.
The Belarusian delegation cites a protocol signed last May that says that if the prices on the Russian market are significantly lower than the export parity, then Belarus can initiate consultations on temporarily cutting the supplies, the participant of the talks told the newspaper.
The Belarusian supplies are already on the decrease as Minsk has almost suspended the sales of oil products on the exchange and cut the sales outside the exchange, a federal official said.
