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Russian vice-premier describes Baumgertner’s detention in Minsk as inadequate

Russian consular workers expected to meet Vladislav Baumgertner at 10:00am August 30

Photo ITAR-TASS/ Artiom Korotaev

Photo ITAR-TASS/ Artiom Korotaev

MOSCOW, August 29 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Vice-Premier Arkady Dvorkovich has described the events that followed the detention of Vladislav Baumgertner, the director general of the Uralkaliy company, as inadequate and non-partner-like.

“The Russian government had got nothing to do with the scandal. But we believe that we should either contribute to normalizing our relations or start a civilized divorce,” Dvrokovich said in a statement released by the Russian government’s press service. He added that the whole situation and the way things developed after Russian national Vladislav Baumgertner had been arrested in Minsk on August 26 looked inadequate at least and could hardly be called partnership relations.

In the meantime, the Belarusian embassy in Russia believes that it is impossible to politicize the situation related to Baumgertner’s detention.

“It is absolutely impossible to politicize this situation especially when a number of bilateral events have been scheduled for the near future. They include the Zapad-2013 joint exercises and some events of federal importance,” the embassy’s press service told Itar-Tass.

Russian consular workers are expected to meet Vladislav Baumgertner at 10:00 in the morning on August 30.

Vladislav Baumgertner, the director general of Uralkaliy, and the head of the supervisory board of the Belarusian Potash Company, was detained and taken into custody in Minsk on August 26.

The Investigation Committee of Belarus initiated criminal proceedings on charges of power abuse and official misconduct against another four top officials of the Belarusian Potash Company, including Oleg Petrov, a supervisory board member; Konstantin Solodovnikov, the company’s first deputy general director; Igor Yevstratov, the deputy general director for finance; Dmitry Samoilov, the head of the freight department. Both the Belarusian police and Interpol put them on their wanted lists.

All of them, including Vladislav Baumgertner, are accused of official misconduct which significantly damaged the state and public interests of Belarus, the Belaruskaliy open joint-stock company and the Belarusian Potash Company.

Earlier on Thursday, the Belarusian embassy in Russia has described as inadmissible any attempts to politicize the detention of Russian national Vladislav Baumgertner, the director-general of the Russia-based Uralkaliy company.

“It is absolutely impossible to politicize this situation especially when a number of bilateral events have been scheduled for the near future. They include the Zapad-2013 joint exercises and some events of federal importance,” the embassy’s press service told Itar-Tass. He added that preparations for a session of the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Russia and Belarus had got under way.

Russian consular workers are expected to meet Vladislav Baumgertner at 10:00 in the morning on August 30.

VladislaV Baumgertner, the director general of Uralkaliy, and the head of the supervisory board of the Belarusian Potash Company, was detained and taken into custody in Minsk on August 26.

The Investigation Committee of Belarus initiated criminal proceedings on charges of power abuse and official misconduct against another four top officials of the Belarusian Potash Company, including Oleg Petrov, a supervisory board member; Konstantin Solodovnikov, the company’s first deputy general director; Igor Yevstratov, the deputy general director for finance; Dmitry Samoilov, the head of the freight department. Both the Belarusian police and Interpol put them on their wanted lists.

All of them, including Vladislav Baumgertner, are accused of official misconduct which significantly damaged the state and public interests of Belarus, the Belaruskaliy open joint-stock company and the Belarusian Potash Company.

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