MOSCOW, 9 November (BelTA) - Belarus and Russia continue to work closely to create common energy markets, Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said following a ceremony to sign the Belarus-Russia intergovernmental protocol to amend the agreement on price (tariffs) setting for natural gas for Belarus and its transportation through gas pipelines in Belarus of 25 November 2011. On behalf of Belarus the document was signed by Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.
"Russia fully honors its obligations to supply energy resources and gas to Belarus. Cooperation in the fuel and energy complex between our countries is, without exaggeration, the backbone of economic cooperation and makes a significant contribution to the energy security of the Republic of Belarus,” the Russian minister said. “Now we continue to work closely to create the common energy markets. We have signed the appropriate Union State programs to integrate the markets. I am confident that the tapping into the potential in the energy sector will create qualitatively new conditions for economic cooperation and new major joint projects."
"The parties noted that the signing of the protocol emphasizes the allied nature of relations between Russia and Belarus in the energy sector," the press service added.
