The European Commission has called on Belarus and Russia to respect contractual obligations, after the crisis between Minsk and Moscow over gas potentially threatened the supply of Russian gas to Europeans, reports hrt.hr
We expect that gas delivery will not be disrupted and that contractual obligations will be fulfilled. We continue to monitor the situation and are in contact with Russian and Belarusian authorities, said the spokesperson for the EC on energy issues, Marlene Holzner. Among EU countries, Lithuania could be the most affected, as it currently receives Russian gas entirely through the pipeline that runs through Belarus. About 6.25% of the total gas consumed in the EU passes through Belarus. Russia can redirect gas through other pipelines, such as through Ukraine.
Previously, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the cessation of Russian gas supplies to Europe via his country’s territory. Statements from Russian officials humiliate the Belarusian people. Belarus does not owe Gazprom, but Gazprom owes Belarus, said President Lukashenko during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Recall that in the morning, the Russian gas giant Gazprom continued to reduce gas exports to Belarus due to unpaid debt. Belarus has not taken any action to pay the debt. From 10 a.m. Moscow time, we are reducing the supply by 30%, said the company’s director, Alexey Miller. Russia began to implement the threat of reducing gas exports to Belarus on Monday due to unpaid debts. The European Union simultaneously organized a crisis meeting fearing a disruption in gas supply similar to that during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Gazprom already reduced the supply to Belarus by 15% on Monday. Europe has not forgotten the previous ‘gas games’ in the winter of 2008/2009 when it briefly ran out of gas due to Ukraine’s debt to Gazprom. (www.hrt.hr)
