ZHITOMIR, 4 October (BelTA) – Belarus and Ukraine discussed cooperation in oil refining and oil supplies, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at an extended-participation meeting with the Ukrainian counterpart on 4 October, BelTA has learned.
“We do not hold anything back. We have discussed oil products, oil refining, alternative ways to deliver oil, shared markets, plants, capitals, and electricity once the nuclear power plant is commissioned. I would not talk about the price. We have already agreed how and where we can sell. We have discussed a lot of issues,” the Belarusian leader said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko asked: “If we have agreed, let's do it. If we do not need this, do not want this, we must say frankly, as close people, that these projects are not interesting or they cannot be fulfilled yet, or that we will not do this. If we decided to increase the depth of the Pripyat River and the Dnieper River, let's do this.”
Restoration of the Dnieper navigation and port development were among the issues discussed at the meeting between the two heads of state. “This will be profitable for us,” the Belarusian president said. He recalled a situation when Ukraine asked for more diesel and petrol during its recent harvesting campaign. “It turned out there were no extra cars. Barrels were collected from around the world to deliver fuel here. If we had had this route on the Dnieper and the Pripyat available, there would have been no problems like that,” the president said.
He added that the parties discussed all the issues of current importance, including the media, culture and the possibility to make joint films. “There were plans to shoot Svaty [Ukrainian comedy series]. A war broke out, and the series were not made. We can make Belarusian Svaty instead. We are ready to provide all the conditions. The conditions are perfect. You have a great experience. Let us make these films together, so that our people could see that our nations remain close,” the head of state said.
