Russia Refuses to Bail Out Lukashenko 08/01/2007 - 01:13 / russiaprofile.orgRefusal of $1.5 billion Loan from Moscow Signals Gloomier Prospects for Belarusian Regime
The failure of negotiations on a new loan to Belarus, held in Moscow on July 30, make clear that this time Moscow is serious about making its western neighbor and ally switch to market principles in bilateral economic relations.
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The Russian Line of the Belarussian Budget 07/03/2007 - 02:14 / kommersant.comIn negotiations on Friday with Belarussian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky, the Russian side laid out new conditions that Belarus must meet in order to receive the $2 billion (up from $1.5 billion) in government credits that it has requested from Russia. Specifically, Russia is now insisting that Belarus, which still has not taken changes in the cost of gas supplied by Russia's Gazprom into account in its budget, change its budgetary policy to ensure that this handout is the last.
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Eastern Europe Getting Pricey for Big Business 04/08/2007 - 18:54 / The Seattle TimesWhen the communists were ousted across Eastern Europe, the capitalists moved in. For foreign companies from McDonald's to Microsoft, it was an exciting new frontier — a cheap place to make things, with 70 million potential consumers to buy them. Now, 18 years after the East embraced economic freedom, come the first tentative signs that an unprecedented boom may be on the verge of going bust.
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Belarus and Russia: Friends Forever...? 03/26/2007 - 16:39 / Pontis FoundationUntil January 1, 2007 Belarus enjoyed considerably lower prices for energy from Russia. Cheap energy was in fact a tool of the Kremlin’s economic, and consequently political, support for Lukashenka’s regime. But at the end of March 2006, right after the presidential elections that confirmed Lukashenka in office for another five years, Moscow announced change in its policy. Lukashenka’s harsh reaction created a feeling that policy change is possible in Minsk.
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Russia: Working Around Belarus 03/16/2007 - 13:28 / StratforRussian state oil firm Transneft is planning to redirect half of the oil normally shipped to Europe via Belarus to the Baltic Pipeline System, which will carry it to the port of Primorsk for waterborne shipping. This decision will not only strip Belarus of transit fees, it also will broaden Russia's oil export market. Thus, while Russian oil shipments to Europe might become more reliable, they might also become smaller.
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Belarus Versus Russia 03/01/2007 - 14:53 / Kyiv PostRussia obtained what it wanted from Belarus in the form of 50 percent control of pipelines and higher gas prices following a rancorous dispute in December 2006-January 2007. This is not the first time that Russia has raised prices of its pro-Russian allies in the CIS; last year gas prices were also doubled for Armenia. Ukraine is still holding out from transferring control over its pipelines to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for a Belarusian-style consortium was snubbed by an overwhelming parliamentary vote initiated by the Yulia Tymoshenko bloc rejecting any such deal.
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Lukashenko's Belarus Scrambling for Foreign Money 03/01/2007 - 14:25 / Jurnalo.comAuthoritarian Belarus is frantically shopping for cash or credit, having asked Russia for 1.5 billion dollars, China for 1. 2 billion dollars, and even offered international business a crack at buying into Belarusian industry.
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Belarus is For Sale (Investors Be Cautious!) 02/28/2007 - 15:28 / American Chronicle2007 New Year oil and gas conflict with Russia could cost Aleksandr Lukashenko more than simply a budget deficit. Belarusian Economy Ministry has prepared a vast program of state enterprises privatization. Talks with investors have started on some of enterprises. Belarus is getting ready for considerable foreign loans. So why should foreign investors be cautious?
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Nezavisimoya Gazeta: Russia Will Finance Belarusian Economy for the Belarusian Loyalty 02/27/2007 - 14:00 / Charter97Russia will openly finance Belarusian economics for its political loyalty. Implicit crediting will be changed for explicit one, Nezavisimoya Gazeta reports. On Saturday head of the ministry for economic development Herman Gref declared the readiness of the Russian government to consider the issue of granting a stand-by credit of USD1.5 billion to Belarus. Thus, the experts consider, Moscow and Minsk decided to employ the USSR-Cuba model of bilateral relationship.
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Lithuanian President Offers Belarus Oil Transit Possibilities, while Russia Continues its "Bypass Frenzy" 02/22/2007 - 03:54 / Baltic TimesOil transit was thrown into the spotlight again last week after announcements that Lithuania was interested in helping Belarus curtail reliance on Russian oil imports and that Russia’s Transneft intended to build to new pipeline bypassing Belarus. While in Washington, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus told a press conference at the National Press Club that the Baltic state has offered Belarus use of its oil import terminal and pipeline system to import crude oil. He added that he had spoken with Vice President Dick Cheney and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman about the idea.
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