Session to discuss oil deliveries to Belarus

The economy and people’s lives are top priorities, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the government conference held on 7 April to discuss oil deliveries to Belarus.

“Having an open economy, Belarus largely depends on the processes which are going on in the world. Events sometimes unravel in an ambiguous way. Therefore, I have planned a number of events concerning pending issues requiring paramount attention and having the biggest impact on our economy. I will reiterate: this is the main thing. The economy and people’s lives - not only today, but also in the future – are top priorities. These are the cornerstones,” the Belarusian leader said.

Speaking about the current developments in the world, including a drop in oil prices, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that in this situation it is important to get your bearings and, if necessary, to have the country’s economy and the society adapted in a way to avoid losses. “At least, it is essential to try to minimize those losses. That is why I am always saying: the economy is the main thing. The economy is a top priority today. Important avenues are oil processing, oil purchase, especially in view of this volatility and rather low oil prices,” the President said.

He remarked that the recent developments in the world require the most rapid action. “We need to get started now. There is no time to engage in correspondence, arguments or coordination,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko asked about the current state of affairs in the country's oil refinery industry, in particular the capacity utilization, the efficiency indicators for the reporting period. “We have addressed these issues more than once this year and at the end of last year. With all the problems out there, we managed to contain the processes more or less in oil refining. But the virus problems and the subsequent corona-psychosis have, of course, complicated the situation,” he said.

“I would like to discuss the prospects. The oil market is turbulent, and the trends are absolutely unpredictable. The volatility is huge. The countries like ours need to be prepared for any development. It will be better, as I said, if we minimize our dependence on the oil games of the major powers,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, these powers do not even hide what games they are playing and what goals they are pursuing. “They have already started taking action to raise oil prices. What we see is a cartel conspiracy,” he said.  “Unfortunately, we cannot influence the situation. Even this pandemic and psychosis cannot influence them. Their eyes turned ‘green’ when they felt the drop in income,” the head of state said.

"The more pillars we create for our economy, the more sustainable the society will become and the more independent our policies will be,” the Belarusian leader.

The President believes that the efforts have not been enough. Issues that should be solved between business entities as part of regular contractual relations (or with the help of Belneftekhim) have to be considered at the highest level. “It means that when difficulties arise we do not use the economic, manufacturing diplomatic and legal potential of the country to the full extent. If the issue is important and urgent, then the entire vertical of power needs to be involved to get it settled. There are no unsolvable issues here,” the President said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also inquired about the agreements on oil supplies for the current month, and the plans for 2020. “We need to steer clear of constant disputes and the state of continuous uncertainty,” he said.

The President ordered to create substantial crude oil and fuel stockpiles that can be used in the event of an emergency. “We should create a substantial emergency reserve of raw materials (both oil and fuel) that will help sustain uninterrupted operation of the economy and maintain technological processes,” the head of state said.

The President asked the government and local authorities whether they have the necessary capacities to store oil and petroleum products and how the storage capacity can be increased.

Aleksandr Lukashenko warned against evading petroleum storage commitments. “The transcript is being made. God forbid someone will say that they can take half a million tonnes of petroleum products for storage and will not do it. Then blame it on yourselves,” he said.

“We are not concealing it. Today oil is cheap, we should buy it, produce petroleum products and create certain reserves. By the end of the meeting we should have an understanding of what kind of reserves this will be,” the Belarusian leader said.

According to the head of state, food supply will become the burning issue in the world. “Oil is important, but you won’t serve it as a meal,” the President stressed. “This is why I urge to finish the spring planting campaign as soon as possible and take the whole cycle of agricultural works throughout the year under strict control. This is the responsibility of the President's aides and inspectors for regions,” he added.

The head of state pointed out that the country’s food security should be given top priority. “This is our top priority and there is nothing more important than this,” he said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko inquired about the provision of fuel for the spring field works and the problems the agriculture is facing today. “I pay special attention to this. You see that not only international organizations are talking about a possibility of famine in the near future. It is on everyone’s lips now, including heads of the most advanced countries. This is why agriculture, first of all, the current planting campaign, is the most important area we should focus on,” the head of state stressed.

The President also voiced some critical remarks about the spring field works, including insufficient measures to preserve soil moisture. “Despite the fact that moisture evaporates from soil in the blink of an eye (frost at night, sun in the morning), some have not done enough to conserve moisture. Especially in Minsk District, which is strange, given its vast fields. Can’t you understand that first of all you should prepare the soil with a cultivator to conserve moisture. The fields are located very high, there is a lot of sand in the soil. So do everything to work in this direction,” Aleksandr Lukashenko urged.