Page 5 - BELRptSept18

2.0 Politics
9.2.7 Russian companies are smuggling food via Belarus, says Lukashenko
Major Russian companies alongside the "big entrepreneurs in positions of power behind them" are responsible for the illegal transit of food sanctioned in Russia via Belarus , President Alexander Lukashenko said on July 17. "It is a major headache for us," government news agency BELTA quoted Lukashenko as saying. "We do a crazy amount of work for Russia. The customs service and other agencies tell me that quarrels happen all the time over there. Biased articles [in mass media] are frequent. And we are getting reprimanded. Instead of gratitude they often blame us for doing a poor job stopping the embargoed goods." Over the past years, Russia's agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor has repeatedly urged Minsk to stop illegal re-exporting Western and Ukrainian dairy and meat products, as well as fruits and vegetables to Russia. Recently, Russia intended to impose a ban on imports of milk, cream, whey and other dairy products from Belarus, but refused to do it without clear explanations of the move. Lukashenko added that according to the Belarusian security services, "all the negative processes relating to the banned imports and other matters are handled by Russian companies, sometimes major ones, with big entrepreneurs in positions of power behind them". "We should speak about it, too. No need to be shy. Don't tell the Russian customs service. Tell the government and the president of the Russian Federation so that they could straighten things out. I say it to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin often. But facts should be presented," Lukashennko underlined. According to the Belarusian State Customs Committee, since Russia enforced trade restrictions against individual countries and commodity groups the Belarusian customs service has carried out over 4,700 special raids, with the labour costs exceeding 108,000 man-hours. Some 2,200 administrative violations have been detected. As many as 30 criminal cases have been opened to investigate the illegal transportation of 25,000 tonnes of banned imports.
9.2.7 Moscow and Minsk relations remain strained
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko believes that the Russian leadership acts in "a barbaric way" towards Minsk, considering his country to be like "their vassals" amid reports that Moscow intends to limit its credit support and oil subsidies to Belarus.
"We are going through a difficult period now - Russians are acting in barbaric way towards us. I say that publicly," state news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko saying on August 10. "They make demands like we are their vassals."
According to Lukashenko, Moscow refuses to honour their own commitments within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union "where they invited us". "Thus, they create a non-competitive situation,” he added, pointing that at the same time, Russia blames the West for creating a non-competitive advantage.
Oil and gas prices have been a source of tension between the allies and Belarus and Russia have been negotiating on the price the gas price for 20 years. Minsk is seeking to secure long-term intergovernmental agreements with the aim of obtaining Russian natural gas at the same prices the Russian
5 BELARUS Country Report September 2018 www.intellinews.com