Russia, Belarus sign documents to settle oil, gas disagreements

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko have signed documents to settle disagreements in the oil and gas sphere, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said Thursday, Sputnik reports.

"Belarus and Russia have signed four agreements that fully settle the problematic issues in the oil and gas sector that have arisen in the past year and a half," Dvorkovich said. He said that under the agreements, the gas price for Belarus will be less than $130 per 1,000 cubic meters, and Russian energy giant Gazprom will announce the amount of the discount later.

Dvorkovich also said Russia and Belarus may within the next few months resolve the issue of forming a common market of gas and electricity. Moreover, Belarus refineries will be processing at least 18 million metric tons of Russian oil from the 24 million tonnes supplied annually, Dvorkovich added.