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Remaining 50-percent stake in Beltranshaz will be sold to Gazprom only if the pipelines continue to function, Lukashenka says

The other 50-percent stake in Belarus’ gas pipeline company Beltranshaz will be sold to Gazprom only if the pipelines continue to function after the deal, Alyaksandr Lukashenka told a group of Russian journalists in Minsk on Friday.

According to him, Beltranshaz is valued at $5 billion and therefore Gazprom will have to pay $2.5 million. “Gazprom agrees and we agree,” he said. “We are holding talks and ready for signing an agreement with the Russian Federation. [Gazprom CEO Aleksei] Miller was here and confirmed our interest.”

As Mr. Lukashenka said, a condition has been set that Gazprom should not close the Beltranshaz network and use the Nord Stream pipeline instead of it because Belarus would be deprived of its earnings.

“Beltranshaz is a huge organization employing 10,000 people and I should guarantee the normal functioning of this company,” Mr. Lukashenka noted. //BelaPAN