Belarus ratifies protocols to gas agreements with Russia

MINSK. July 20 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed the law to ratify the protocols signed in February to the previously concluded intergovernmental agreements with Russia that determine the mechanism for setting the price of Russian gas and the mark-up of Gazprom's subsidiary , Gazprom Transgaz Belarus, formerly BelTransGaz, when supplying gas to Belarusian consumers.

"Ratify the protocol to amend the agreement, dated November 25, 2011, between the government of the Republic of Belarus and the government of the Russian Federation, on the procedure to set prices/tariffs for supplying natural gas to the Republic of Belarus, and its transportation through the gas pipelines located on the territory of the Republic of Belarus; and ratify the protocol to amend the agreement, dated November 25, 2011, between the government of the Republic of Belarus and the government of the Russian Federation, on the terms and conditions for the sale and purchase of shares and the further activities of OJSC BelTransGaz, as signed in Moscow on February 28, 2023," according to the law.

The law was published on Thursday on the national legal internet portal, and both chambers of the Belarusian parliament approved it in June.

As previously reported, the respective Russian and Belarusian energy ministers on February 28 signed a protocol to regulate the procedure for setting prices to supply gas to Belarus and transport gas through the country from August 1, 2022, to December 31, 2025.

Russia and Belarus have agreed that the latter will pay the 2022 price for the former's gas in 2023-2025, as calculated in rubles. Belarus has paid for Russian gas in Russian rubles since April 2022, following the signing of another annual contract at the end of 2021 for supplying gas at $128.52 per 1,000 cubic meters.