Lukashenko is again trying to blackmail Russia
Belarus' purchase of a million tons of Azerbaijani oil, about which President Alexander Lukashenko said during his visit to Azerbaijan, is an attempt to blackmail Russia again.
Deputy Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Politics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics Andrey Suzdaltsev spoke about this on the PolitWera YouTube channel, PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I remind you that during the crisis, the oil war of last year, a certain amount of oil was purchased from Azerbaijan. But this oil is expensive, it has double transshipment. It goes by sea through Georgian ports to Odessa, then through a pipeline, or directly by rail, and goes to the Mozyr Oil Refinery. This is not Russian pipeline oil, which will initially be cheaper. That is, we must understand that this is not balancing the energy supply of Belarus, but blackmailing Russia,” Suzdaltsev said.
He believes that such steps will only complicate the situation for Belarus in the future.
“No one has the right to prohibit Belarusians from buying oil wherever they want, but Russia should not be blackmailed. This will further strengthen her belief that when the tax maneuver of the Russian oil industry ends in the next two years, Belarus will buy oil at world prices,” Suzdaltsev said.
The need of Belarusian refineries for Russian oil is 18 million tons. Last year, Minsk lost, according to experts, a billion dollars in attempts to purchase “alternative” oil. Lukashenko demanded economic discounts from Moscow, but stated that he would not compromise Belarusian independence.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.