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The objective is presumably to tighten control of the public in view of the upcoming economic and political challenges. The crackdown is also a new signal to Brussels, indicating that Minsk is interested in co-operation in selected spheres only, and that human rights and democracy should be excluded from its scope. more »
The Belarusian finance minister Andrei Kharkovets announced on 4 February that the Belarusian budget's revenue in January had been lower than planned by 200 billion Belarusian roubles, corresponding to around US$70 million (the revenue for the entire year has been planned at around US$12 billion). There are many indications that Belarus’ budget problems of will worsen as a result of the less favourable terms for supplying and processing Russian oil. This may undermine the stability of the country's finance, and force Minsk to seek more foreign loans. more »
Following lengthy negotiations, on 27 January 2010 Russia and Belarus reached an agreement with regard to co-operation on the export of oil and petroleum products. The agreement ends the heated dispute between the two countries about the extent to which oil processed by Belarusian refineries should be exempted from Russian export duties. By limiting the scope of the exemption, Moscow hopes to force Minsk to sell its controlling stakes in the refineries. more »
A meeting of the Committee of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus was held in Moscow on 27 January. The parties failed to agree on the division of import duty revenue. The first month of the new, common custom tariff's functioning has revealed many difficulties that integration with its two neighbours will entail for Russia. more »
During the meeting of the Union State High Council on 10 December, the presidents of Russia and Belarus agreed on the terms of their countries’ economic, political and defence co-operation in 2010. The decisions concerning the terms of Russian oil and gas supplies have given rise to the most emotional reactions. The Kremlin openly admits that it expects Belarus to sell majority stakes in its petrochemical plants in return for continued economic support. However, it appears that the Belarusian leadership will continue to put off any major concessions to Moscow. more »
