OREANDA-NEWS. Belarus initiates the issue of reducing the price of Russian gas for the republic in 2020. This was announced on Thursday in parliament by Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich, quoted by a Belarusian news agency.

According to him, at present, there is a pronounced dynamics of a decrease in world prices for energy resources, including natural gas. “In these circumstances, the Belarusian side has initiated the issue of Gazprom’s revision towards PJSC to reduce the cost of natural gas supplied to Belarus in 2020”, the minister said.

According to him, as "one of the review mechanisms, the possibility of buying certain volumes of gas on exchange platforms at competitive prices" was proposed. "The conditions for the implementation of this mechanism will be the subject of upcoming negotiations with the Russian side", the minister added.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, for his part, said that Russian gas for the republic in the current conditions should cost about $ 40-45 per 1,000 cubic meters, and not $ 127 per 1,000 cubic meters, as previously agreed.