Yaraslau
Ramanchuk: Only “not simple” Belarusians
will get out of Venezuelan oil
MINSK
Petroleumworld.com
10 31 07
“
The recently created joint Belarusian-Venezuelan venture
is likely to extract oil this year already. But it won’t
affect the Belarusian economy – it is impossible
to stop the increase of energy supplies prices in this
way. It won’t give the additional budget revenue
- there is no such budget line”, - Yaraslau Ramanchuk,
head of the Mises Research Center said commenting to Charter’97
press center the information about Belarus’s plans
to start oil extract ion in Venezuela by the end of 2007.
According
to the expert, there are no reasons to think that Belarusian-Venezuelan
joint venture has been created
on a “legal” scheme.
“With high degree of certainty we can say that money
from this oil output and selling will go to somebody’s
pockets. Now there only exists the information that the
joint oil-extracting venture is being created with the
participation of the Republican Unitary Enterprise Production
Association “Belorusneft” and Venezuela State
Oil Company PDVSA. But what is the exact number of the
participants and who they are - this information can be
confirmed or denied only by Hugo Chavez, and he is a great
friend of Lukashenka, as it is known. So we hardly can
know who profit over the enterprise, but for sure, not
the simple Belarusians”, - Ramanchuk said.
It should be reminded that 29 October state agency BelTA
referring to Mikhail Asipenka, Deputy Chairman of the concern
Belneftekhim, gave the information that Belarus starts
extracting oil in Venezuela before 2007 is out.
According
to Asipenka, “A joint venture is to be
set up using the existing wells in Venezuela, its aim is
to start oil extraction by the end of the year”.
M.
Asipenka also said that the joint oil-extracting venture
will be created with the participation of Production Association “Belorusneft” and
Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. Initially the oil extracted
by the joint venture will be sold to PDVSA.
Story
from Charter'
97 Org. Press Center 31
10 07
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