STRELNA (Sputnik) — Moscow and Minsk have agreed to settle the existing gas dispute in the next 10 days, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday.
"We agreed to settle all our disputes in the oil-and-gas sector. We have resolved them. Agreed on how and when we can do it," Putin said following talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg.
According to Putin, the disputes will be settled in the next 10 days.
"We have agreed a scheme, which allows us to maintain our positions, to close them on prices. We have found compromises, and agreed on how we will continue work in this sector not only in 2017, but also in 2018 and 2019," Putin said.
No controversial issues between Russia and Belarus are remaining, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday.
"At present, no controversial issues are remaining, we will move ahead, we will strengthen our allied relations in the framework of the Union State and we will work on the strengthening of the legal basis in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union," Putin said.
Russia and Belarus reaffirmed on Monday their readiness to prepare and sign by 2024 an intergovernmental agreement on the formation of a unified gas market, according to the Russian president.
"We have reaffirmed our readiness to make all possible efforts to finalize the preparation of common regulations on the unified gas market by January 1, 2018, and to prepare and sign an intergovernmental agreement on the unified gas market in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union by 2024," he elaborated.
Russia to Resume Regular Oil Supplies to Belarus
Russia will resume regular oil supplies to Belarus, as the issue of the deliveries to the eastern European state has been settled, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Monday.
"Yes, we will completely settle the issue related to the dispute [in the gas sphere between Moscow and Minsk]," Novak told reporters, answering a question about the settlement of the dispute and possibility of restoration of oil supplies to Belarus on a full scale.
He added that it was too early to speak about the certain details, because it was necessary to make amendments to certain intergovernmental agreements.
"Within the framework of the common package, yes," Novak said, speaking about the potential increase in oil supplies to Minsk.
