OREANDA-NEWS. On 08 April 2009 was announced, that Belarus had reached an agreement with Russia to pay a fixed average annual gas price in 2009, Economic Advisor of the Russian Embassy in Belarus Andrei Kuznetsov told.

The agreement was reached during a meeting of President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev in Zavidovo on March 19.

According to the Russian side, the natural gas price for Belarus was expected at U.S. USD 210 per 1,000 cubic meters in the first quarter and was supposed to decrease in April-December.

“The presidents managed to agree that the gas price would remain stable – it will be easier to maneuver,” Kuznetsov said.

“Gazprom will thus supply gas to Belarus at lower rates in the first half of the year, but Belarus will have to pay more than the actual price in July-December 2008 to catch up,” the diplomat said.

The average annual gas price is a tentative figure, which may be adjusted at the end of the year depending on the oil and oil product prices on the global market, Kuznetsov said.

“The exact price will be calculated late in 2009 and either Belarus or Russia will pay the difference,” the diplomat said.

Russia will charge BelarUSD 148 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas in 2009 [up from USD 127.9 in late 2008], Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov told reporters on January 23.

Belarus paid USD 100 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas in 2007, USD 119 in the first quarter of 2008 and USD 127.9 in April-December 2008.