BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

29/09/2006

Belarus Warns Moscow On Planned Gas Hikes

September 29, 2006 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka lashed out at Russian plans to increase the price of natural gas it exports to Belarus.

Lukashenka said such a move would have serious implications for Russian-Belarusian relations.

Belarus currently pays some $47 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, but Russia's state-controlled gas giant Gazprom plans to increase that to about $200 per 1,000 cubic meters starting in 2007.

Lukashenka said his country would survive if there was an increase but Russia would lose an ally.

(ITAR-TASS, Reuters)

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/09/e01ce228-e645-4fb8-978e-b8955514342f.html