Situation with Uralkali CEO's arrest in Minsk strange, inappropriate - Shuvalov
GORKI. Aug 26 (Interfax) - First Deputy Russian Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said the actions of the Belarus law enforcement agencies with respect to Vladislav Baumgertner, CEO of Russian potash miner Uralkali , following a meeting with the Belarusian prime minister, were inadmissible.
"What happened today is out of all proportion. We think this is a very strange situation, bearing in mind the nature of our mutual relations," Shuvalov told reporters.
"This is of course very strange, inappropriate, and not in the partnership spirit," he said.
Shuvalov said he had briefed Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on the situation and that he had given "all the necessary instructions." "All the relevant agencies, including the Russian Interior Ministry, are at work," he said.
Shuvalov confirmed Baumgertner had traveled to Belarus on the Belarusian prime minister's invitation and had been detained following a meeting with him. "We are following the situation that develops between BPC [Belarusian Potash Company] and Uralkali closely. We regret that this is developing so roughly, as this project heralded, in the context of our processes to form the Customs Union and Single Economic Space, real integration in production and in joint approaches in trade," Shuvalov said.
"The Russian government had absolutely nothing to do with the scandal, in the complex situation that has arisen in connection with the fact that a single export window was broken - neither the government as a whole nor individual agencies," he said.
"The government's position was such that these troubles still had to be overcome quickly and that agreement had to be reached on civilized relations or a civilized divorce," he said.
"When there was the situation with the solvents and when there was real damage done to the Russian budget, and the law enforcement agencies tried to develop this criminal investigation, we deemed it necessary to resolve this issue calmly enough, without any repression," he said.
"And here when there are totally different consequences for the economies of both countries - by the way Russia has gained nothing from these actions [the conflict between the two companies], we have lost as much as Belarus - we think this is strange, inappropriate, not in keeping with partnership," Shuvalov said.
Shuvalov said he hoped the Foreign Ministry would use "all levers at its disposal." All agencies have been instructed to act along their own lines as well as public actions," he said.