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Russian premier arrives in Minsk for session of Union State’s Council of Ministers

Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov arrived in Minsk on Friday to attend a session of the Union State’s Council of Ministers, BelaPAN said.

Mr. Zubkov is expected to have a 40-minute meeting with his Belarusian counterpart, Syarhey Sidorski, before the session.

The agenda of the session consists of 23 items, including subsidies to the Belarusian and Russian agriculture sectors, joint diesel engine and chemical fiber manufacture and space research program, and pricing policies in the two countries.

As an unnamed source who accompanies Mr. Zubkov on his Minsk trip told Russia’s RIA Novosti, the Russian delegation will press for the abolition of non-tax contributions that joint ventures are to make to Belarus’ state funds.

In particular, the Beltranshaz gas transport company, in which Russia’s Gazprom giant holds a stake, was ordered to pay some $70 million to the Belarusian energy ministry’s innovation fund last year. “This runs counter to the agreement on the creation of the joint venture,” the source was quoted as saying.

“We raised this subject with Belarusians last week, they recognized our concerns as justified,” he said.

The official noted that Russia is not satisfied with the fact that the supply of machines and equipment accounts for only 11 percent of Russia’s exports to Belarus against 40 percent of Belarus’ exports to Russia.

In addition, he said, the talks will focus on efforts to remove restrictions on bilateral trade.

Belarusian sugar exports to Russia also were expected to be discussed at the session.

Raising the issue of Moscow’s move to ban grain exports to Belarus, the official said that the restriction would be lifted as soon as Minsk introduced a 40-percent duty on grain exports to Russia.