Belarusian Energy Minister on energy imports

Belarus has not paid off Russian energy imports for January yet, Belarusian Energy Minister Vladimir Semashko told journalists today. Electrical energy supplies are 87 percent paid off while gas supplies are 103.2 percent paid off. According to the minister, Belarusian Prime Minister Gennady Novitsky declared about personal responsibility of enterprises' authorities for violating the payment schedule.

Belarusian external debts for energy imports amounted to $226m at the beginning of 2003. Internal debts of Belarusian consumers to the country's fuel and energy sector are some $512m.

Semashko stressed that last year Belarus had decreased its debts for energy supplies by $87.6m.