International   

Russia cuts off gas supplies to Belarus

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, FEB. 19. Russia has cut off all gas supplies to Belarus as relations between two former Soviet allies hit an all-time low.

The Russian Gazprom gas monopoly said it had suspended all gas supplies not only to Belarus but via its territory to Germany and Poland on Wednesday because Belarus was siphoning off transit gas. The row reached a boiling point after Minsk rejected Moscow's demand either to hike the price of gas energy — poor Belarus imports gas from Russia at subsidised prices — or to allow Gazprom a controlling stake in the Belarus Beltransgaz pipeline, which is a major conduit for Russian gas exports to Western Europe.

In an angry response to the Russian move, the Belarus President, Alexander Lukashenko, recalled his ambassador in Moscow for consultations, while the Belarus Government condemned Gazprom's action as `blackmail'.

Belarus only has enough gas in storage to last 10 days without new supplies, and 15 to 20 days if it makes energy cutbacks. Gas is the main source of house heating in Belarus, where temperatures hover below minus 10 degrees Centigrade at times .

Analysts said Russia's gas ultimatum to Minsk signals a new hardening of Moscow's policy towards not only to Belarus but also other former Soviet republics. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, formulated his new policy last week, saying, "Russia must stop being a milking cow" towards its neighbours.

"We have been taking into account the interests of our partners and have the right to demand the same from them," the Russian leader said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• We will encourage LTTE to take the democratic path: Chandrika
• Russia cuts off gas supplies to Belarus
• Quake triggered wagon movement?
• Enron official surrenders
• Slump in Bush ratings
• A new axis takes shape in Europe
• Dean bows out of race
• Graft trials of partymen erode Chirac's popularity
• Musharraf happy over peace moves
• India has not addressed `serious problems': U.S. panel
• China, Japan welcome India-Pakistan accord

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu