Belarus has suffered most from dirty oil, refineries must insist on compensation - Lukashenko
MINSK. June 7 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said oil refinery bosses ought to insist on compensation for losses inflicted by supplies of off-spec oil to the country.
"No need for extreme measures or pressure. The main thing is to look out for the best interest of the company and the state. No need to kneel begging. You just should address such matters in a business-like manner," the BelTA news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying during a visit to the Naftan refinery.
Lukashenko said that according to the recent media reports, a number of international companies want up to $800 million in damages from Russia. "We have suffered the worst. But they say that Belarusians have incurred almost no losses. How come? We need to keep an eye on what is going. Why they are paying $800 million in damages, while we, who got hit the worst, are getting only about $20 million. We need to follow this situation closely," he said.