BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

18/06/2009

Milk war over?

Belarus has resumed deliveries of dairy products to Russia, but the ongoing dispute between the countries does not seem to be over.

Following talks in Moscow on Wednesday, head of Russia's consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor and Belarusian Agriculture Minister Semyon Shapiro signed a protocol changing technical requirements for the import of dairy products from Belarus, which were the reason for the ban.

However, the dispute between the countries may continue on a new level. The Belarus customs service has said that it plans to implement certain elements of customs control on the Russian border.

Currently, customs control of goods from Belarus and customs clearance of goods from third countries only exists on the Russian side. Vedomosti daily reports that Minsk has already introduced stricter customs examination procedures.

The "milk war" could grow into another dispute - over gas this time.

Russia's Gazprom has officially notified Belarus's state-run gas company that it must pay an extra $231 million for gas used since January. It said Minsk has been paying less than what had been agreed in their contract.

A verbal agreement on preferential prices has been reached but not been formalized on paper.

Source:

http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-06-18/Milk_war_over.html

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