Russia should condition next loan tranche to Belarus by lifting of import restrictions - Russian official
ST. PETERSBURG. June 18 (Interfax) - The Russian Economic Development Ministry believes the issuance of the next tranche of a Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) loan to Belarus should be conditioned by the lifting of import restrictions on Russian manufacturers, Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrei Slepnyov said.
"You can't take loans with one hand and hit our economic interests with the other. I am not talking about retaliatory measures, but when we talk about next tranches of the loan to Belarus, we should look at these relations in a comprehensive way," Slepnyov told journalists in commenting on import restrictions existing in Belarus.
The ministry has already forwarded an official request for consultations on this issue to Belarus, which could hopefully start next week, he said.
"The measures that are being taken to restrict crediting, restrict the purchase of foreign currency, and restrict private businesses in buying Russian components - this all is grossly violating the agreements reached within the framework of the Customs Union and the free trade agreements," Slepnyov said.
"We understand Belarus's difficulties and have tolerated this for some time in the hope that they would find a solution complying with the existing agreements. But the situation is developing in a negative way. No decisions taking into account our interests are being prepared," he said.
"Our suppliers' interests are being cynically violated," Slepnyov said. "A crisis is one thing, but it's necessary to act properly," he said.
The Belarusian authorities' steps look "inexplicable to our business," Slepnyov said. Russian exporters have lost "dozens of millions of dollars," he said.
"We have a free trade agreement, and we have obligations not to obstruct the movement of goods - these are all international commitments. If they are not honored, there could be various tools to affect this," he said.
"We are unlikely to go to courts," Slepnyov said.
"As a last resort, we might call for reviewing our cooperation on loans," he said.