OREANDA-NEWS. Russian fertilizer producer EuroChem is more successful in negotiations for the privatization of Belarus' Grodno Azot than gas giant Gazprom, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Alexander Surikov said.

“Grodno Azot wants to establish a new facility operating on Russian raw materials. EuroChem and Gazprom are in talks. I do not know who will win but I think that EuroChem is closer to the goal,” Surikov said.

Grodno Azot is one of the few integration projects Belarus is supposed to implement with Russia. Asked about his opinion of integration projects, the ambassador accentuated the point that they are intended to help Belarus make its economy self-sufficient. Until it becomes reality Russia will provide credits to support Belarus' economy, Surikov said.

Russia's EuroChem and Gazprom investproject were mentioned earlier as potential partners of Belarus' largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers OAO Grodno Azot, which depends on supplies of imported natural gas and plans to build a new nitrogen plant worth USD 1 billion.

One of the principle conditions is that the investor is supposed to fully satisfy OAO Grodno Azot's demand for natural gas.

Grodno Azot was set up in 1963 and transformed into an open joint-stock company in 2002. The Belarusian government holds a 99.97% stake.

Grodno Azot is Belarus' main producer of liquid ammonia, nitrogen fertilizers, methanol, caprolactam, biodiesel fuel.